Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

February 16, 2020

Readings:

First Reading: Sirach 15: 15-20

Psalm 119 “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10

Gospel reading according to Matthew 5: 17-37

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Homily:

We will see in the following commandments below why Jesus said to his disciples earlier that he did not come to abolish the Law or even the Prophets' teachings, to eradicate the Old Law and to change it to the New Law.  Jesus said to his disciples: 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill' (Matthew 5: 17).  Instead of abolishing the old ones, he will give new meanings to them without abandoning the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets.  He has no intention of letting his disciples to abandon the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17) or Decalogue plus or minus (+/-) 613 other laws added by Moses' followers, must probably the scribes, Pharisees and elders of the Jewish religion  (See Mark 7: 1-13).  They added these other laws to safeguard the Ten Commandments by explaining and commenting in each of the Law of God given on Mount Sinai, until such time they performed and taught the laws of men instead of the Law of God.  Jesus is different from them in treating God's law.  Instead of changing, explaining and/or commenting them, he put them into action by fulfilling them in a very simple and personal/relational way so that anybody can do them with obedient heart and mind, soul and body, his or her whole being without difficulties.

He guaranteed his disciples that not a smallest letter or any part of the letter, for example, (בּ   א), will be disregarded or passed unnoticed, unfulfilled.  Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place (Matthew 5: 18).  Heaven and earth will not end until all the laws and prophets, and all things are completed and performed and done without leaving any laws and prophets untouched and unsatisfied. 

He reminded and admonished also his disciples that no one among them should break the law and make his or her own law. If he or she does this, he/she is the least in the Kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be greater in the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5: 19).  Anyone who perseveres in obeying and or teaching the Law and the Prophets, even the most least and the smallest one, is the greater in the Kingdom of heaven, for he or she does not violate the (10) Commandments of God.

As compare with the scribes, Pharisees and elders who changed, added, removed some provisions in the Law and the Prophets in accordance to their whims, caprice and self-interest and convenience, they broke the Decalogue.   I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5: 20).  That is why Jesus would like his disciples as well as we to go beyond the hypocrisies of the scribes, Pharisees and elders.  We must go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees in obeying God's law.

Here is what Jesus was saying to his disciples with regards abolition of the law and the prophets.  Instead of saying without disregarding the law and the prophets that: “It was said to your ancestors . . .,” he was referring before; Jesus on the other hand is saying to his disciples now, this present time: “. . . . But I say to you,” he has authority and power and even superior to Moses and the Prophet, for who can claim the Commandments of God and say: “I say to you!”  He started saying, You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill,' and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.  But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable fiery Gehenna (Matthew 5: 21-22).  He mentioned first in his sermon the Fifth Commandment (Ex. 20: 13). “You shall not murder (kill),” with recognizing by saying you have heard that it was said to your ancestors . . .  But Jesus expounded this commandment by uttering not just killing physical body, but even psychological, social, political, cultural, economic deprivation of life is part and parcel of that Fifth Commandment, such as anger (psychological), malicious thoughts 'Raqa' (social and political), slander (cultural and economic) and calling name names like 'fool.'  

A heart with grief and hurt cannot offer gift peacefully.  We have to have a peaceful heart and mind in order our gift becomes acceptable with God.  Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5: 23-24).  Jesus even suggesting to leave behind our offerings at the altar, go home and settle our disputes with our brothers and sisters or neighbors, and when everything is settled, go back and offer our gifts to God.  Not to make worse the situation, there is always time and opportunity to be reconciled with our opponents.  Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.  Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.  Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny (Matthew 5: 25-26).  Along the way, before bringing our case in the court, we can still talk and settle our indifference with another.    

The second commandment Jesus wanted to deepen the understanding of his disciples was the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex. 20: 14).   You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.  But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5: 27-28). Again, he said, you have heard that it was said, but then he said, but I say to you.  He deepens the meaning of this commandment without changing or altering any single word or letter.  He said that even a mere looking at a woman with bad intention or malice or desire without even touching the woman is already committing adultery at her.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna (Matthew 5: 29).  Better than worse he said to plunk out one of his eyes that brings him to sin of adultery rather than with both eyes but suffer in the end in hell.  The same with hands. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna (Matthew 5: 30).  Better than worse he said to cut off one of his hands that brings him to sin of adultery rather than with both hands but suffer in the end in hell.  Or even divorcing his wife to marry another woman.  It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.  But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) – causes her to commit adultery, and who marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5: 31-32).  He brings himself to adultery in spite of giving his wife bill of divorce, as well as his wife he brings to adultery with another man who marries her, and then the whole body be thrown into Gehenna.

He also discussed with his disciples the deeper meaning of the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Ex. 20: 16).  Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a fake oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.  But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is Gods throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.  Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'  Anything more is from the evil one (Matthew 5: 33-37).  Nowadays, fake news is very rampant, and we do not know right there and then which is true and which is false or fake.  But many people make believe that there is no difference between the right news and the bad news.  There is only a thin line between fake and real in giving testimony.  Jesus commanded us not to swear at all, not swearing by heaven above or earth below, not swear even our heads.  The best to testify the truth is by saying “Yes,” when we mean yes or “No,” when we mean no and added to this comes from the evil ones, as what Jesus said and commanded.