OUR SINS - 2/12/23 (Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Gospel

Mt 5:17-37

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:

Sometimes, we think we are not bad people like others if we are not criminals who kill or rape others, and if we are not like the ones we see in television dramas who commit adultery. However, the Lord challenges us today to go beyond that usual thinking and to examine ourselves deeply. He says that when a person looks with lust, then that person is already guilty of adultery. He says that killing a brother does not mean only killing their body. It could also be hatred or wrath which is sinful anger.  

It is because sin comes from within, from our hearts. Before committing the act of sin, the person has already sinned through thoughts. Therefore, we must guard our thoughts first to avoid sin. It is impossible to do this without the aid of prayer. By the grace and light of God, we will know what’s right or wrong and the resolutions to follow it. By the power of God, we, His children, can resist temptations starting from our thoughts, feelings, and desires. 

It is now time to examine ourselves having been reminded of this truth in the Gospel today. Ask yourself, “How have I sinned in my thoughts and my words?” Then later, also examine your actions and you will find how sinful actions came from sinful words. If we do this every day, or every night before we sleep in prayer and ask God for forgiveness, we shall grow closer to God and holiness. The sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and the confession are the two pillars that will make us stand up whenever we fall. God gives us the graces we need always, as long as we desire them. Amen. +

Let's ponder on it. Amen. +

May the Loving and Almighty God bless us all, and may He protect us from temptation and evil now and forever. Amen. +

Reflections by Marga de Jesus

Translations to English by CJT

Full readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021223.cfm