Today’s readings lead us to reflect on the theme of the “law of the Lord,” as the refrain of the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 118) reminds us, “Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord.” A fundamental instrument to observe any law is wisdom, not that of the rulers of the world, but that which Jesus Christ revealed to us through his death and resurrection.
Fundamental Aspects
In the first reading, taken from the book of Sirach, we find the fundamental aspects of earthly existence: life, death, good and evil, nature, the law, with a precise reference to the wisdom that comes from God. We have been created free and are called to choose freely between good and evil, but Sirach reminds us that the Lord has not commanded anyone “to be impious, nor has he given anyone permission to sin.” So, the observance of God’s commandments depends solely and exclusively on us.
In the Gospel, we find a series of sayings of the Lord, very different from each other, but linked by a common thread, which is the desire to privilege conscience and love over what the law tells us. Jesus is not opposed to the law, but frowns at its reductive interpretations. In this context, Jesus shows the poverty of a purely external morality, pure observance, to which the inner truth does not correspond. The morality of the Gospel is that of the heart.
Forgiveness
Jesus also reminds us that fraternal reconciliation is an indispensable condition for celebrating the Eucharist worthily: if you discover that someone has something against you, even without a specific reason, stop and take charge of the other freely, always take the first step. It is no coincidence that every Eucharistic celebration begins with a request for forgiveness, to invite us to recognize our shortcomings and to trust in the mercy of the Lord.
Jesus also invites us to a radical purity with a demanding language “If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out; if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” Perhaps these words leave us a little perplexed, but it is Jesus’ invitation not to be afraid to take radical positions in line with the Gospel. The other invitation we find in today’s Gospel is precisely that “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Let us then ask the Lord to help us live in everyday life, in the family, in our communities, in society, with these attitudes that today’s readings have suggested to us, even if it is not always easy to be consistent with oneself, with the Word of God, and to behave accordingly.
[Readings: Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37]
