Sunday 16th
February 2020. Read Sirach 15:15-20, Psalm 119, 1st Corinthians 2:6-10 and
Matthew 5:17-37.
_“Whoever
then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall
be called least in the kingdom of heaven… For I tell you unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.” *(Matthew 5:19-20)*_
There is a
book titled “An Enemy Called Average” written by John Mason wherein he
seriously challenges the minimalist approach we often have to life. I hear Christians
say things like: “After all, am I the one that killed Jesus? Must I even be the
holiest person on earth?” Today, Jesus tells us: “Unless your righteousness
exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven.” This means if we are not striving for perfection, we would never enter
heaven.
Last
Sunday, Jesus told us that our calling is to be salt of the earth and light of
the world. He said: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” We also saw that one way
we can shine our light as Christians is charity; showing love to the poor and
needy; feeding the hungry and thirsty, sheltering the homeless, clothing the
naked, visiting the sick and prisoners, burying the dead. In fact, there are
more than a million reasons we must help others. (Cf. Isaiah 58:7-10)
Today,
Jesus is teaching us that another way we can shine our light as Christians is
by our commitment to perfection; keeping all of God’s commandments while we
teach others to do the same. We cannot simply be content with average righteousness;
we must do more. Jesus employs up several examples to illustrate this point
thereby giving us several lessons for our meditation today.
*1. Avoid
Hypocrisy.*
What does
Jesus mean when he says our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and
Pharisees? Simply put, Jesus wants us to avoid putting up a show in public only
to become devils in secret. Recall how Jesus described the scribes and
Pharisees: “you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful,
but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew
23:27).
Are there
things I do in secret that I am ashamed of? People may think I am a saint because
they don’t know my secrets but I would end up in hellfire because nothing is
hidden from God. Today, God is giving me a chance to repent, a chance to clean the
inside of the cup before the outside. (Cf. Mark 7:6-23).
Hypocrisy
is the major problem of Christians in this country today. Every Sunday, our
churches are full yet evil continues to increase in our society. Preachers are
often guilty of the very sins they condemn. Our policemen (and other security
agencies) are accused of kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes they ought
to fight against. Politicians and Government functionaries who swore on oath to
protect the people use the people to serve personal interests. Hypocrisy is
worse than coronavirus. Run away from it. Repent.
*2. The
Offertory that Pleases God is Forgiveness/Reconciliation.*
Carrying
bitterness in your heart against someone is like holding hot coals with bare
hands. It hurts you and makes your offering unacceptable to God. Jesus teaches
us today that it is not enough to say “I haven’t killed anybody.” So long as
you are angry with someone, so long as you utter a word of insult against to
someone, you are just as guilty of killing that person. In fact, if you are
offering a gift on the Altar and remember there are people you quarrelled with,
leave your gifts there, go and be reconciled before coming to render your gifts
to God.
In truth,
just as it is painful to part with your hard-earned money and donations in
church, it is likewise painful to forgive and be the first to initiate
reconciliation with someone who has offended you. Yet, God appreciates your
forgiveness more than your money or hefty donations in church. God would rather
prefer you worship Him simply with a pure heart freed from bitterness than with
a bitter heart. It is not easy to forgive but it is the essence of Christian
perfection. Unforgiveness destroys us.
*3. Avoid
Lust; God is against Divorce.*
It is not enough
that we avoid the act of sex itself, as perfect Christians, we must fight against
all those things which build up the desire for fornication or adultery in us
such as immoral looks (lust), indecent conversations (jokes, music), immoral
literature and media (pornography), unwholesome relationships, etc. The sexual
drive is the strongest drive in every human being; staying pure and holy is one
of the toughest battles we have to fight; conquering the flesh requires a great
deal of self-discipline and sacrifice; it is like plucking out one’s own eyes
or cutting off your hands.
I must
confess that I do feel very pained at times when I am attracted to a beautiful
girl but instead of approaching her to say “hello”, I just walk away. This is
what Jesus meant when he said: “If any man would come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his
life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” (Luke
9:23-24) It is painful but it is the essence of Christian perfection.
In the same
way, married couples do sometimes face hard times in marriage. They soon begin
to consider divorce but Jesus teaches us today that divorce should never be an
option because it was not part of God’s plan. Love is for better and for worse.
It may be painful to remain with a spouse who no longer loves you, who disrespects
you, insults you or cheats on you but this is the meaning of Christian
perfection.
*4. Say
the Truth Always: You Don’t Have to Swear.*
Jesus
teaches us today: “Let what you say be simply `Yes' or `No'; anything more than
this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:37). Telling of lies is the trademark of fake
Christians. It is a symptom of a very deep crisis of faith and adherence to
the devil who is the father of liars. There is nothing like “small lie.” Every
time we tell a lie, we go against the eighth commandment which says “thou shall
not bear false witness.” When we lie, we make ourselves candidates for Hellfire as the book of Revelations tells us: “But as for the cowardly, the
faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters,
and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur,
which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
*5. You Always
Have a Choice.*
Very often,
when someone is caught in the act of doing evil, you hear them say things like:
“It was the devil oh.” They try to shift the blame from themselves as though
they were simply being remote-controlled; as if they had no choice. The truth
is that whenever we face temptations, we always have all it takes to say “No.”
We are never without a choice. Our first reading today explains: God “has
placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish.
Before a man are life and death, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.”
(Sirach 15:16-17). If indeed, we had no choice, we would not be liable to
judgment, we would be like logs of wood or stone; inanimate objects.
*Conclusion*
Striving for
Christian perfection surely sounds like foolishness to the world. The world we
live in today has lost its moral values. Saying the truth at all times, refusing
to tell a lie, staying away from sex before marriage, remaining faithful to
your spouse even in tough times, keeping one’s heart pure, forgiving others
freely and continuously and staying away from secret sins may not command the respect
of people but these are the characteristics of truly wise people. As St. Paul
tells us, “it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are
doomed to pass away.”
You surely
have a choice. Don’t give up on your struggle. Keeping aiming for perfection.
God wants to see your efforts. Yes, you can make it. You can be a saint.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, guide my choices that my life may dispel the darkness of sin
in the world today. Amen.
Happy
Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless
you. (Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A. Bible Study: Sirach 15:15-20,
Psalm 119, 1st Corinthians 2:6-10 and Matthew 5:17-37).
Fr. Abu.
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