Daily Gospel Reflection

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February 12, 2023

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt 5:17-37
Listen to the Audio Version

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’
will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said,
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife – unless the marriage is unlawful –
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.

But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”

Reflection

Raúl E. Zegarra ’14, M.T.S.
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When we think of the Sermon on the Mount, we usually focus on the beauty and compassion of Jesus’ beatitudes. But the series of discourses we read today present us with a different emphasis and portrayal of Jesus.

We see him as a law-giver. But it is much more than that. Jesus and his commandments are the fulfillment of the law. As biblical scholar Ulrich Luz puts it, in Jesus and by his own power, his commandments “become living Torah.”

But this living Torah represents a radical intensification of prior biblical commandments. The truth is that the new law Jesus is giving is extremely demanding, if not, in some cases, almost impossible to fulfill.

Further, Jesus does not seem to leave any room for failure: “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” How shall we interpret all this?

It may make sense to think about these sayings as intended to disrupt our self-sufficiency, to destabilize the religious assurance that often makes us believe that if we do this or that, we are good disciples. Jesus’ goal in these passages seems to be interrupting the continuous sequence of life, inviting us to pause and transcend the world of our ordinary choices and comfort zones.

If there is a clear takeaway from these problematic passages, it is that Jesus unequivocally tells us that our salvation is directly related to how we treat our neighbors. Indeed, these commandments disrupt our world to return to the world, this time transformed by the radical encounter with the Lord. This encounter must lead to the establishment of a covenant of radical love with our neighbors.

Prayer

Rev. Thomas O’Hara, C.S.C.

Dear Lord, you remind us that it is not just our actions, but our attitudes and thoughts that can lead us astray. Be with us this day; send your peace into our hearts and minds so that throughout this day we are ever more aware of your gentle and loving presence in our lives. For we know our awareness of your presence within us keeps us from those thoughts, actions and attitudes that can too easily lead us astray. We pray this to you, Our God, forever and ever. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Meletius of Antioch

St. Meletius of Antioch is an important early Christian saint, who became bishop of one of the largest and most ancient congregations of Christianity—the Syrian city of Antioch.

Meletius was born in Armenia in the first half of the fourth century. Meletius was born into a distinguished family, leading him to seek a distinguished ecclesial office in the church. Meletius was appointed the bishop of the Christian city of Sebaste.

During the fourth century, debates over the divinity of Christ raged throughout Eastern and Western Christianity. Antioch was, for a long time, a stronghold of orthodox Christianity, where Christians believed in Christ's two natures—divine and human—united in the one person of Jesus.

Meletius resisted both the rise of Arianism and the Eastern emperor, Constantius II, who supported the Arian Christians. During these ecclesial bickerings, the important Christian city of Antioch was being pulled between many different bishops. The people of Antioch were divided between these heretical bishops vying for the see. Finally, they appointed Meletius, who was an orthodox Christian, but who focused mostly on the moral Christian life and living a life of Christian charity in imitation of the saints of the Hebrew Scriptures. The divided people of Antioch admired their saintly bishop and adhered to his example.

Meletius became known as a hero among the faithful in Antioch, for uniting the church that had been divided by heresies. The good bishop Meletius anointed one of Antioch's most famous bishops, John Chrysostom, a deacon. John Chrysostom later praised him in one of his homilies, eulogizing him for his great wisdom and his calm and holy leadership. Meletius died while attending the Second Council of Constantinople in 381.

St. Meletius of Antioch, faithful bishop, and shepherd of a divided people—pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Meletius is in the public domain. Last accessed January 23, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.