6th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR A

6TH ORDINARY SUNDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2023 SIRACH 15. 15-20; 1 COR 2. 6-10; MATTHEW 5. 17-37 Pivot: Wisdom is the pivot! Indicative: To obtain wisdom and to live wisely is more worth and meritorious, beneficial, and life-renewing, rather than gaining all the great matters of the world 1. The focus of today’s Word of God is wisdom. Wisdom is the greatest rarity and also a rapid diminution. Competence, intelligence, talent, capacity, technique, skill, efficiency, ease, comfort – all these are increasing but wisdom is decreasing. 2. But what is wisdom? It is the discernment between two choices, one, the right and the other, wrong, the good and the evil. In the first reading, this is the choice between fire and water, life and death, good and evil, and blessing and curse. 3. In the gospel, this wisdom is to discern between the old law and the new law, the imperfect way and the perfect way, the deficient Judaic tradition, and the complete Christian living. We are called to be wise and to discern and choose the new law, and perfect way of Christian living, which surpasses, perfects, and completes the old (Mt 5. 17-18). We shall reflect on some of these implications. 4. This is the wisdom that we give importance both to the big commandments as well as the small, in contrast to the old way which neglects the small (Mt 5. 19). The new way is loyalty in all things. We strive to be righteous holistically and not only legalistically, in contrast to the old way (Mt 5. 20). The concern is not so much murder or no murder, not only to avoid what is forbidden and punishable by the letter of the law but also to promote the spirit of the law, the spirit of true piety and fraternity (Mt 5. 21-26). 5. This is the wisdom and the concern is not so much adultery or no adultery. It is not only the external and physical rectitude but also the interior and spiritual rectitude, to be clear of heart as well. It is not enough to avoid the external acts of sin, but also to avoid internal impure thoughts and sinful inclinations (Mt 5. 27-28). 6. This is the wisdom and the concern is not so much whether to have all the parts of the body or to remove them when they cause sin, but to guard against hell and not so much to safeguard the whole body; not so much to protect the body in its entirety, but to protect entire life for eternity (Mt 5. 29-30). 7. This is the wisdom and the concern is not so much divorce or no divorce, but marital fidelity and inseparable union (Mt 5. 31-32). The concern is not so much keeping the oath or breaking it, but rather fostering a consistent sense of self-responsibility, reliability, and truthfulness (Mt 5. 33-37). Direction: What is the use of acquiring a whole lot of knowledge, capacity, material abundance, and recognition, but failing to be wise and thus losing an integral and serene living? (REFLECTION 2) Pivot: To be great is to be surplus! Indicative: To be great is to be committed. To be really committed means to be deeply convinced of what is right and to put in the best and the maximum 1. "Unless your virtue surpasses that of the Pharisees and scribes, you shall not enter the kingdom of God", so clearly announces Jesus. The virtue of the Pharisees and scribes was skin-deep, very shallow, and peripheral. It was not going beyond the written rules and traditions. It was not penetrating into the depth of heart and sincerity of devotion. 2. They were satisfied with mere meticulous observance of the precepts. They were not bothered about the living of their purpose. Their main botheration was to follow the letter and not the spirit. Accordingly, they may not kill physically but kill psychologically with mental harassment, character assassination, angry outbursts, and offensive, and insulting words. They may offer great sacrifices to God but with hearts filled with a grudge and retaliatory spirit. Such devotion and life are not pleasing to God. 3. Instead, a true follower of Christ is expected to look for the maximum, going beyond the minimums. They are called to nurture constantly a respectful and non-judgmental attitude, a spirit of gentleness and patience, and an approach of peace and reconciliation. 4. And here lies the secret of true greatness. Greatness is in humility and fidelity. It is not doing big things but doing small things faithfully. This requires humility because only humility realises that all our competence is from God. Therefore, no one can claim to be competent through human codes or traditions, but only in the Spirit. 5. Greatness is what everyone aspires and strives for. To desire and seek to be great in itself is not wrong. But, how one wants to be great, and what means are employed to acquire that greatness – this is the real issue. Many seek greatness by recourse to worldly things such as money, power, position, etc. 6. But, Jesus in the gospel teaches us what real greatness is and how to attain it. To be really great is to be rated great not in the sight of the world but in the sight of God. The way to such greatness is to follow the commandments of God and also to teach and guide others to follow the same. 7. Thus, following the commandments alone is the criterion that decides whether we are great or not. To follow the law does not mean to be legalistic and rigid. It is to understand and assimilate the spirit of the law. It is to be faithful to the spirit of the law. It is to act according to the Spirit. It is to seek all our competence from God. It is to be His competent ministers of a new covenant. 8. When one goes beyond the mere letter of the law and performs actions according to the spirit of the law, it is not breaching the law but perfecting and fulfilling it. This is what Jesus always did: he was only perfecting and accomplishing the law, which apparently was violating the law. 9. Seen from the perspective of fidelity to God's love and adherence to God's will, all the Laws and directives will no more be burdensome restrictions or curtailing retrenchments. Rather, they become facilitators toward perfection. We need to bear in mind that Freedom of the Spirit is not equivalent to lawlessness or callousness or indulgence but is the perfect following of God's precepts. Imperative: In a culture of bare minimums and dry obligations, the followers of Christ are summoned to do the maximums, and to be passionately committed