6^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); 2-16-20

Sir 15:15-20 Ps 119 1 Cor 2:6-10 Mt 5:17-37

Deacon Jim McFadden

 

            It begins with the tiniest gesture: an interested glance across a classroom, the brushing of a hand, asking for that first date.  Lifelong love builds from little expressions of care before it becomes self-surrender to the beloved.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, egregious acts of murder, marital betrayal, and deception begin with little sparks of anger, white lies and exaggerations, and lustful looks.  In today’s Gospel Jesus instructs his disciples on the Sermon of the Mount to watch over the little things that undermine their love relationships.  And, to be sure, if we are not in right relationship with our brothers and sisters whom we do see, we can’t be with God whom we don’t see.

            Jesus examines three aspects, three commandments that get to the heart of our relationships: murder, adultery, and swearing.

            With regard to the commandment ‘you shall not kill,” our Lord states that it is not only violated by taking the life of an innocent person, but also those behaviors that offend the dignity of a human person, including insulting words.  What the latter have in common with murder is that both objectify the other before we do harm.  Insulting words demean and  ridicule; their purpose is  to do harm so that the perpetrator can attain a position of superiority. Jesus commands us to love our neighbor; insulting others flies in the face of our Lord’s instruction.  One who insults his brother or sister or who listens and condones someone who does, say through the Internet or Twitter, is on the same line as killing.  Put simply, one who insults his brother  has objectified him and, in so doing, has killed him in his heart. Please do not insult!  Please do not demean others—nothing is gained, but a lot lost because  our relationship with God is seriously damaged.

            Just as insults and anger can be a prelude to murder, so a lustful look can be a first step to adultery.   Adultery is first conceived in the depth of our heart.  We have a choice: do I honor my commitment to my beloved in which our union brings both of us into the intimacy of Triune love or do I worship myself?  Once we choose the latter, once the choice has been made in our heart, then eventually it is carried out in concrete situations.  That’s why Jesus says that one who looks with a covetous spirit at a woman not his own is an adulterer in his heart, has set off on the path towards adultery  That’s is why an addiction to pornography is so pernicious because it redirects our loving energy away from our beloved to images on a screen.  In so doing it compromises our marital union and thereby impacts our relationship with God.

            Then Jesus tells his disciples not to swear, as swearing is a sign of insecurity and duplicity with which human relationships unfold. To call upon God’s authority to justify our behavior or proclamations is to bolster our egoic narrative.  Among Christians our relationship with God and each other should be so transparent that there should be no need for taking oaths at all.

            Along this line, we are called to establish among ourselves, in our families and in our communities, a climate of clarity and mutual trust.  The mind is ordered to seek the Truth.  Viable communities can only flourish when we have trust that the other is speaking the truth.  When we lie, deceive, exaggerate, and  make unfounded claims such as conspiracy theories that are rampant in our society, we do great violence to our God-given gifts of Reason and Conscience.  When we lie and deceive or condone others who do so  in the public domain, we compromise the bonds  of our community.  Mistrust and mutual suspicion always threaten peace!  Be aware of those who sow division!

            So, Jesus is instructing his disciples to pay attention to the little transgressions.  He did so, not to frighten us as if God were lying in wait ready to pounce when we make a small mistake.  Rather, he is alerting us that little slights, left unchecked,  can lead to major offenses.  By the same token, God’s reign begins with little acts of love toward the least brother and sister.  St. Therese of Lisieux epitomized this teaching.  Through her “little way:’, she resolved to love everyone she encountered in all the routine and ordinary exchanges of everyday life.  Her greatness was recognized in her canonization and  her designation as patron of Catholic  Missions throughout the world.  What was possible with St. Therese is possible with us through the grace of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to do everything with love, and thus to fulfill the will of God.  Amen.