Our Ministries
14 Feb

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Laws! Laws! Laws!

The emphasis on law in the time of the Israelites was not for the sake of abiding by the law, but about gaining access to God. If the people followed the laws—the laws of Moses, the laws of purity—they could gain access to God. Jesus knew that and understood the culture he was born into. When Jesus said that he came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it, he acknowledged their longing for God. Moving forward from the written law, he offered himself as the road, the access point to the Father when he said, “I am the way.”

Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount with examples of how that happens. He repeats several times “You have heard it said” with “but I say.” In each of the examples—the commandments, the laws—Jesus indicates what is at the heart of this new way of life. Life in Christ requires that our whole being needs transformation. To choose life in Christ is to pay attention to our inner being, to the emotions within us.

What is it that causes us to “kill” the spirit in others with our words?  What is it that allows us to ignore the needs of others, to deprive them of what they need to live safely and securely?

In Psalm 119 we pray, “Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.” May our hearts be transformed. May we choose life in both words and actions. We pray as we sing: “Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you. I want to be with you.”

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