Thursday, June 9, 2022

 Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(I Kings 18:41-46; Matthew 5:20-26)

It is hard to overemphasize the radical nature of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  It establishes a new order of moral conduct for Jesus’ followers.  No longer will acts be acceptable if they merely conform to the Mosaic Law.  They must never be done with any maliciousness. 

In today’s passage from the Sermon Jesus comments on the law proscribing murder.  He warns that it is not enough that his followers refrain from harming one another physically.  They must not ridicule or denigrate each other as well.  Jesus emphasizes the importance of this rule in a telling way.  He says that when it is violated, reconciliation takes precedence over offering God sacrifices.  It is as if his followers show their love for God by how they love their neighbors.

We may wonder if it is possible to live as innocently as Jesus commands in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus, as St. Matthew presents him, would respond yes, of course, we can.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, given to us last Sunday and always available, we can. 

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