Great Are Those Who
Teach and Obey the Commandments
Introduction: May you accept Jesus’ invitation to reach the
fullness of what He has for you, now and eternally.
In a school the teachers and coaches strive to inspire the
students to not only do the minimum to pass a class or participate in
competitive sports, but also to become the best individuals they can be.
Sometimes that meant the staff members push the students to their personal
limits, challenging them to reach beyond what is comfortable in order to better
themselves. The teachers do not do it to be mean, but to raise their own
standard of performance to a higher level. If staff members did not care about
their students, the staff would be happy to just get them to pass the course or
get on the team with the least amount of effort. Good educators want what will
ultimately mold the students into mature, well-balanced, and productive members
of the society now and in their future.
The Lord Jesus is more than our Master-Teacher and Spiritual
Coach. He wants what is best for us, even when we do not want it. Jesus
challenges us to live beyond the minimum levels that other set by rules and
regulations. It is not easy to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus. We must be
willing to set our goal high – eternally high.
Living a life of a disciple of Jesus, the Master-Teacher, is
challenging. Jesus asks us to do more than just keep the commands and the law.
Our First Reading is from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and speaks of
the importance of knowing and keeping the commandments. Psalm 119 (of which we
only have a few verses of this longest of the 150 psalms) also declares the
value of seeking to do what God requires of us in order to experience blessings
from God. Although not chosen to go along with the other readings, the Second
Reading proclaims the awesomeness of God’s wisdom, that had been revealed in
the past to the Hebrew people but is now being revealed to all who are open to
the movement of the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus emphatically announces that He
has not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets (Hebrew Scriptures) but
to bring them to fulfillment and raise the bar even higher.
First Reading: Sirach 15:15-20: ‘He has not commanded
anyone to be ungodly.’
Commentary: A
reading from Ecclesiasticus is rare enough for us to remind ourselves of the
origin of the book. It is one of the Wisdom Books of the Bible, written towards
the end of the Old Testament period, when prophecy had come to an end. The
fierce corrections of the prophets and their inspiring promises of coming
salvation were no more, and the word of the Lord came in collections of wise
sayings to guide conduct, inspired by acute awareness that the Lord was the
source of all wisdom. This collection of wisdom was brought together by a sage
and experienced scribe of the Law at Jerusalem named Ben Sira. It was taken by
the author’s grandson to Alexandria in Egypt and translated into Greek for the
Greek-speaking Jews there. Only recently have manuscripts been discovered
containing most of the Hebrew original. In today’s passage Ben Sira sets out
the contrasting choices which face us, to which we can freely reach out our
hands. It is one of the chief passages in the Bible stressing our own free
will. Of our own volition we may turn to good or to ill. God calls for our love
and response, but does not force us, for love must be a free act.
Responsorial Psalm 119:1-2. 4-5. 17-18. 33-34. Blessed
are those who walk in the law of the LORD!
Psalm 119 (in all its 176 verses) speaks of the law and
doing God’s will as something to be sought after in order to enhance our
relationship with God. Those who do what God is asking of them will experience
a closeness with God that cannot be obtained in any other way.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10: ‘A wisdom God
decreed before the ages for our glory.’
Commentary: Among
the recipients of this letter of Paul’s were philosophers who prided themselves
on their wisdom, the Greek understanding of the nature of things and the
structure of the universe. The wisdom which Paul teaches is beyond human
understanding. What, then, is the point of it? Firstly, it concerns the mystery
hidden throughout the earlier history of the world and of humankind. The plan
of God has been working itself out throughout the history, throughout
affectionate and tender, forgiving dealings of God with human beings. But it
has been made clear only by the coming of Christ into human history as the
keystone which makes sense of the whole structure. Secondly, we can still not
fully understand it. We still have not fathomed the meaning of life and all its
strange and unpredictable twistings and turnings. And yet we are assured by the
Spirit of God that there is a meaning, and that this meaning is for our glory.
Whatever goes wrong, as well as whatever goes right, is so arranged for our
glory. Thirdly, this same Spirit which penetrates the meaning of everything,
even the depths of God, is the divine Spirit which lives in us and informs us
as Christians.
Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37: ‘It was said to those of old;
but I say to you.’
Commentary: Jesus
is the completion of the Law of God given to Israel through Moses. He has come
not to sweep it away but to perfect it. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew has gathered together six instances (four this week, two next Sunday)
of the ways in which Jesus brings the Law to perfection. The first factor to
notice, however, is that Jesus does not hesitate to adjust the divine Law on
his own authority, for he too has divine authority. Each correction begins with
a statement of the old Law and boldly goes on, ‘But I say this to you…’ Each of
the corrections has its own character. The first is about enmity, the sixth
about love. About enmity, it is not enough merely to forego violent injury; we
must even expel enmity from our hearts, positively seeking reconciliation,
whether the offence is our fault or not. About lust, it is similarly not enough
to forego acts of lust; we must not even harbour such thoughts in our hearts.
About divorce, the easy toleration of divorce in the Jewish Law is swept away,
and Jesus uncompromisingly calls it fornication. About truth, it is not enough
to keep a legal oath; we must be people whose every word can be relied upon.
These are Jesus’ demanding standards.
Reflection: Why do people tend to view the "law of
God" negatively rather than positively? Jesus' attitude towards the law of
God can be summed up in the great prayer of Psalm 119: "Oh, how I love
your law! It is my meditation all the day."
For the people of Israel the "law" could refer to
the ten commandments or to the five Books of Moses, called the Pentateuch or
Torah, which explain the commandments and ordinances of God for his people. The
"law" also referred to the whole teaching or way of life which God
gave to his people. The Jews in Jesus' time also used it as a description of
the oral or scribal law. Needless to say, the scribes added many more things to
the law than God intended. That is why Jesus often condemned the scribal law
because it placed burdens on people which God had not intended.
The essence of God's law: Jesus
made it very clear that the essence of God's law - his commandments and way of
life, must be fulfilled. God's law is true and righteous because it flows from
his love, goodness, and holiness. It is a law of grace, love, and freedom for
us. That is why God commands us to love him above all else and to follow in the
way of his Son, the Lord Jesus who taught us how to love by laying down our
lives for one another.
Reverence and respect: Jesus
taught reverence and respect for God's law - reverence for God himself,
reverence for the Lord's Day, reverence or respect for parents, respect for
life, for property, for another person's good name, respect for oneself and for
one's neighbor lest wrong or hurtful desires master and enslave us. Reverence
and respect for God's commandments teach us the way of love - love of God and
love of neighbor. What is impossible to humans is possible to God who gives
generously of his gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit to those who put their
faith and trust in him.
God gives us the grace, help, and strength to love as he
loves, to forgive as he forgives, to think and judge as he judges, and to act
as he acts with mercy, loving-kindness, and goodness. The Lord loves
righteousness and hates wickedness. As his followers we must love his
commandments and hate every form of sin and wrong-doing. If we want to live
righteously as God desires for us, then we must know and understand the
intention of God's commands for us, and decide in our heart to obey the Lord.
Do you seek to understand the intention of his law and to grow in wisdom of his
ways?
The Holy Spirit transforms
our minds and hearts: Jesus promised his disciples that he would
give them the gift of the Holy Spirit who writes God's law of love and truth on
our hearts. The Holy Spirit teaches us God's truth and gives us wisdom and
understanding of God's ways. The Spirit helps us in our weakness, strengthens
us in temptation, and transforms us, day by day, into the likeness of Jesus
Christ, our Merciful Savior and Humble Lord. There is great blessing and reward
for those who obey God's commandments and who encourage others, especially the
younger generations, to love, respect, and obey the Lord. Do you trust in God's
love and allow his Holy Spirit to fill you with a thirst for holiness and
righteousness in every area of your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your
heart with a burning desire and reverence for God's life-giving word so that
you may grow day by day in the wisdom and knowledge of God's love, truth, and
goodness.
Lord Jesus, begin a new work of love within me. Instill in
me a greater love and respect for your commandments. Give me a burning desire
to live a life of holiness and righteousness. Purify my thoughts, desires, and
intentions that I may only desire what is pleasing to you and in accord with
your will.
Daily Quote from the Early
Church Fathers: What you teach,
you should do, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"While it is sinful to abolish the least of the
commandments, all the more so the great and most important ones. Hence the Holy
Spirit affirms through Solomon: 'Whoever despises the little things shall
gradually die' (Sirach 19:1b). Consequently nothing in the divine commandments
must be abolished, nothing altered. Everything must be preserved and taught
faithfully and devotedly that the glory of the heavenly kingdom may not be
lost. Indeed, those things considered least important and small by the unfaithful
or by worldly people are not small before God but necessary. For the Lord
taught the commandments and did them. Even small things point to the great
future of the kingdom of heaven. For this reason, not only words but also deeds
are important; and you should not only teach, but what you teach, you should
do." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 20.2.1-3)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]
The personal action for
today: Do I see laws and rules as
hoops to jump through or as guides to lead me to better relationship with God
and with others? Am I willing to take Jesus’ invitation to go above and beyond
the mere requirements of the commandments and seek to do whatever enhances the
lives of others and my own life in the eyes of God? What can I do to help
others move beyond legalism to enjoy the fullness and freedom of God’s plan for
them and others?
Saint Claude de la
Colombière: This is a special day
for the Jesuits, who claim today’s saint as one of their own. It’s also a
special day for people who have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus—a devotion Saint Claude de la Colombière promoted along with his friend
and spiritual companion, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The emphasis on God’s
love for all was an antidote to the rigorous moralism of the Jansenists, who
were popular at the time.
Saint Claude showed remarkable preaching skills long before
his ordination in 1675. Two months later, he was made superior of a small
Jesuit residence in Burgundy. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary
Alacoque. For many years after he served as her confessor.
He was next sent to England to serve as confessor to the
Duchess of York. He preached by both words and by the example of his holy life,
converting a number of Protestants. Tensions arose against Catholics and
Claude, rumored to be part of a plot against the king, was imprisoned. He was
ultimately banished, but by then his health had been ruined. He died in 1682.
Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Claude de la Colombière in 1992.
As a fellow Jesuit and as a promoter of the devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Claude must be very special to Pope Francis who
has so beautifully emphasized the mercy of Jesus. The emphasis on God’s love
and mercy are characteristic of both men.
life in the spirit or death
in the world: “Yet God has revealed this wisdom to us through the
Spirit. The Spirit scrutinizes all matters, even the deep things of God.” —1
Corinthians 2:10
There is a certain wisdom which is not of this age or of the
rulers of this age who are headed for destruction (1 Cor 2:6). If we do not
have this wisdom, we will be so ultimately foolish as to crucify the Lord of
glory (1 Cor 2:8; Heb 6:6). The only way to receive this wisdom is through the
Holy Spirit.
The Lord requires us to have a holiness which surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 5:20). He even commands us to be holy as He is
holy (1 Pt 1:16). We must not be angry with our brothers and sisters but
reconciled (Mt 5:22-24). We must be sexually pure not only in deed but in
thought (Mt 5:28ff). Our marriages and conversations are to be under Jesus’
lordship (see Mt 5:32, 37). We must even love our enemies as Jesus loves them
(Mt 5:44). Jesus expects us to meet the highest standards ever set for
morality. We do this not by our power but only by the Spirit Who makes us holy
(see Zec 4:6).
We need the Holy Spirit in order to be wise, holy, pure, and
free. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot please God (see Rm 8:8-9). Therefore,
repent and pray for the Spirit, Whom we have received in Baptism and
Confirmation, to be stirred into flame (2 Tm 1:6-7). Come, Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, I repent of quenching and grieving the
Holy Spirit (1 Thes 5:19; Eph 4:30). “Before man are life and death, whichever
he chooses shall be given him.” —Sir 15:17. Alleluia! Praise the risen Jesus,
Who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit! (Mk 1:8)
