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.
