Reflection for February 12, 2023

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Sirach 15:15–20 | Psalm 119:1–2,4–5, 17–18,33–34 | 1 Corinthians 2:6–10 | Matthew 5:17–37

​The readings on this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time speak about the interior life of the committed follower of Jesus Christ. Every baptized Christian is called to be holy. This understanding is known as the universal call to holiness. What does it mean to be holy? How can one live a holy life? If you have a knife, you can dichotomize the definition of holiness in two principal components: Holiness is the fullness of Christian life and perfection of charity. On the one hand, we must follow in the footsteps of Christ and conform ourselves to his image that seeks the will of the Father in all things. On the other extreme, we must devote ourselves to the service of our neighbor (Lumen Gentium, §40). The cross is first of all the symbol of our salvation. It is both vertical and horizontal. The vertical beam represents our relationship with God while the horizontal bar represents our relationship with our fellow humans. We are constantly reminded by the cross that the love of God and love of our neighbors are two aspects of the same calling. If it's not vertical and horizontal, it's not the cross that will lead you to holiness.

A man has a heart attack and is brought to the hospital  emergency room. The doctor tells him that he will not live unless he has a heart transplant right away. Another doctor runs into the room and says, "you're in luck, two hearts just became available, so you will get to choose which one you want. One belongs to a priest and the other to a politician". The man quickly responds, "the politician's". The doctor says, "Wait! Don't you want to know a little about them before you make your decision?" The man says, "I already know enough. We all know that the priest's is a bleeding heart and the politician probably never used his. So I'll take the politician's!"

Our First Reading teaches us that to act well and honorably is a matter of personal choice. Sirach states explicitly that in life, we will always be confronted to make a choice. We can choose "life" or "death" and "good" and "evil". God has entrusted us with the power to choose. Whether we use that freedom to build up or to destroy, the responsibility rests squarely and only on our own shoulders. Should divorce be legalized? Should we pave the way for the ruin of civilization by legalizing same-sex marriage? Should we remain silent spectators of extrajudicial killings and human rights violations? Should we allow babies to be murdered under the pro-choice propaganda? God's only law is love, a love within us that governs our choices and the actions that flow from our choices. God, in his wisdom and power, pushes nobody to act unjustly or to sin. When making decisions, we must always make God's laws our primary criteria. We tend to make the wrong decisions if we set aside God's law and simply rely on our own instinct.

Saint Scholastica is the twin sister of Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order. They had the custom of visiting each other once a year in which they would spend one whole day together glorifying God in prayer and adoration. They would share meals and converse about the joys that awaited them in heaven. On one visit, Benedict was finishing his dinner and readying himself to head back to his monastery. It was clear night with no clouds, only stars and moonlight filled the air. Scholastica stopped him and said, “I beg you. Do not leave me this night so that we may talk until morning more about the joys of heavenly life.” But he responded, “What are you talking about, my sister? Under no circumstances can I stay outside my cell.” Upon hearing her brother’s refusal, she leaned her head into her hands in prayer, prostrate on the dinner table. According to legend, when she lifted her head, “there broke forth such powerful lightning and thunder and such a flood of rain that neither the venerable Benedict nor the brothers with him could set foot outside the door of the place where they were sitting.” Benedict then told her, “May God have mercy on you, my sister. What have you done?” And she replied to him: “See, I asked you, and you would not listen to me. So I asked my Lord, and he has listened to me. Now then, go, if you can. Leave me, and go back to the monastery.” Needless to say, the weather didn’t get any better. Benedict remained with his sister for the remainder of the night and Scholastica scored a million Catholic practical joke points with the assistance of God. 

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul contrasts the wisdom of the political rulers of his time with the mysterious, hidden wisdom of God. He teaches us that the spiritually mature have true wisdom. God reveals this wisdom to us through the spirit through the process of discernment, which comes about usually through faithful conversations with God. What role does prayer play in your efforts to live His example?"
Catechist Zia was teaching the Ten Commandments to her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked,"Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" One little boy shouted, "Thou shall not kill."

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us that in order to be holy, we must go beyond the minimum. He has come to teach us how to go beyond the minimum requirements of the Law and to respond to others with love. Our Lord points out that obeying the "letter of the Law” is a matter of physical action, whereas obeying the “spirit of the Law” requires more than just outward actions. Do we simply obey rules, or do we choose to live in love and concern for others? The Law condemned murder. Jesus condemns anger and slander; the Law condemned adultery; Jesus condemns even lustful looks. The Law condemned swearing a false oath; Jesus condemns anything that misleads. Jesus wants us to be "mabuti" and not merely "mabait". If one does not physically attack or injure his neighbor, he or she is "mabait". If one works to promote peace and reconciliation, he or she is "mabuti" . If a husband does not cheat on his wife,  he is "mabait". If a husband makes an effort to say “I love you,” or ask, “How are you today?” he is "mabuti." When we let our children get away with cussing or saying bad words because we don't want to hurt them, we are parents who are "mabait." If we discipline them and make them realize the seriousness of their deed, we are parents who are "mabuti." You see, it is not in the action itself but it is in the motivation behind the action where the person's true identity is found and formed. I remember when I was in the minor seminary; we have a rule to help out with the cleaning up and washing the dishes after dinner. I hate, hate, and hate washing dishes by hand. One time, I was tempted to just rinse the food off dirty dishes with just water and no longer soap it. When I went to the lavatory to execute my hideous plan, I saw a poster mounted on the wall which says, "Wash the plate not because it’s dirty nor you’re told to wash it but because you love the person who will use it next” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta). The good intentions behind an action or a gift are more important than the action or the gift itself. True love of God and neighbor begins in the heart and has its value from this interior disposition. Jesus is looking for something far deeper than legal observances. He wants us to be motivated by love, to live loving lives, to care and to unselfishly give of ourselves to others and to our Father in heaven.

Merciful Father, sorry if sometimes, I allow the toughness of the law to get in way of showing merciful and compassionate love to my brothers and sisters. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit of the law gives life. Let me be filled with  your love so that I can discern and make the right decisions. Invite me to pray for whatever is in my heart, so I would walk into the path of holiness; that is to know, love and serve you in others not because it's written on stone but because it's engraved in my heart. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. <enrique,ofs>
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