SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Sirach 15:16-21; I Corinthians 2,6-10; Matthew 5:17-37)
In today's gospel Matthew presents Jesus as the divine
lawgiver. For Jews this point of view is worse than an outrage. It's blasphemy.
There is only one God, and his law is eternal. However, Matthew does not back
out of his position. He quotes Jesus as saying that if one transgresses one iota
of the law from him, he will be little in the Kingdom. It is worth taking this
gospel to heart so that we can have a place close to him in the Kingdom.
Although he is a legislator, Jesus does not try to revision
the law. It will be a "new law" not because of many additions but
because of the Holy Spirit who will accompany those who practice it. His
purpose is to bring the law to its fullness by eliminating the possibilities of
fulfilling it halfway. No more white lies will be allowed. According to Jesus,
we are going to tell the truth or we are going to say nothing at all. He
presents six intensifications of the law that will distinguish the true heirs
of the Kingdom from those whose only concern is to be seen as "good."
First, according to Jesus it is not enough that we do not
kill anyone. To be a son or daughter of God we must avoid all forms of insults
and curses against members of the community. Because we are brothers and
sisters in the Lord, everyone deserves our respect. So, are we allowed to defame
people outside of the faith community? Of course not, because we are still
"light of the world" called to attract other people to Christ. Many
times we want to make jokes that put people down to gain the admiration of
others. Jesus would tell us that it is infinitely more profitable to win God's
favor.
Nor is it enough that we do not commit adultery. To be a
child of God we must overcome the heart's desire for other women or, for the
ladies, other men. This intensification of the law mentions married people
since marriage is a covenant made before God. However, it applies in a reduced way
to the unmarried. According to a saying, “a woman is old when she looks it; a
man is old when he stops looking.” Jesus is indicating that such sayings are not
the wisdom that leads us to eternal life. Rather they are nonsense that leads
us to eternal death.
Nor is it enough to look for an adequate reason in the eyes
of the world for divorce. For the children of God there is no way out of the
sacred covenant of marriage until death. Later in the gospel Jesus will give
the justification for this change which was as shocking in his day as it is
now. He will say that God's intention is clear in Genesis which says that woman
and man are no longer two but one person. The supposed exception that he gives,
the illegitimate union, is to say that the marriage never existed. We take this
situation into account when we talk about annulment.
Finally, Jesus says that it is not enough that we do not
swear falsely. We disciples should not take any oaths at all. Jesus wants us to
avoid all forms of manipulating God. He would say, “Who are you to call on God
to testify to the value of your words? Unfortunately, Christians following St.
Paul in the Letter to the Romans (1,9) have always taken oaths. So, what should
we do? Perhaps we can refrain from taking oaths without blaming other people
who follow the ancient custom.
It is a challenging thing to be a Christian. Many who have
taken the path have left it. Jesus challenges us to be perfect like God the
Father. The call to perfection should not be a reason to dilute the force of
his commands as applying only to the most robust religious or to say that the
pursuit of perfection is unhealthy. We must take advantage of the resource that
Jesus himself offers in this Sermon on the Mount. We pray first that the Holy
Spirit help us in the struggle. We also pray that God will be merciful when He
finds us failing.
