First reading: Sir. 15:15–20
If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man’s every deed. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.
Second reading: 1 Cor. 2:6–10
Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Gospel: Mt. 5:17–37
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. 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. 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 called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
“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 to fiery Gehenna. 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. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. 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.
“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. 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. 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.
“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 whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false 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 God’s 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.”
In other words
Fr. Vicente Uy, SVD (Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City, Bohol)
What is the law for? Is it important? Is it necessary?
In the Gospel reading today, Jesus emphasizes the importance of fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, reminding us that the law is there for a purpose and that the purpose is served by complying with the mandate of the law.
The Law God gave us is supposed to help us reach our goal, heaven. Without it, salvation is impossible. But having said that, let us not forget what St. Paul wrote in his Letter to the Galatians: “A man is not justified by observance of the Law but only through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 2:16)
So, what does God mean by “fulfilling the law?”
Returning to our Gospel reading today, we hear Jesus saying: “The Law says ‘Do not kill.’ But one who is angry with his neighbor has already committed murder in his heart.” The same goes for lust. “He who lusts after his neighbor has already committed adultery in his heart.” So, even without the act of killing, one has already committed murder in his heart by being angry. So, with adultery, by having lust in his heart, one has already committed adultery.
On a deeper meaning, today’s Gospel reading tells us how to guard against sin by going to the root cause. What is the root cause of murder? Isn’t it anger? What is the root cause of adultery? Isn’t it lust? This is what the law is after: a conversion of the heart. When that happens, then everything falls into place. It is not the letter of the law anymore but the spirit of the law that defines us.
The story of the Two Monks may help us understand what Jesus is driving at in our Gospel reading today.
“A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. They came to a river with a strong current. As they were preparing to cross the river, they saw a young woman attempting to cross. Afraid of the strong current, she asked if they could help her cross to the other side. The two monks glanced at one another because they had taken a vow not to touch a woman.” To cut the story short, after some hesitation, the older monk picked up the woman, carried her across the river, and placed her gently on the other side. The younger monk was scandalized and told the older monk when they arrived at the monastery that, as monks, they were not permitted to touch a woman, much less carry her!
The older monk looked at him and replied: “Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river an hour ago, why are you still carrying her with you?”