In the Gospel for
February 16th, Jesus says to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes
and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” This was powerful
and radical stuff back in Jesus’ day. It challenged the religious authorities
and the local power structure. And it ignited a firestorm that would eventually
lead to his arrest and crucifixion.
The scribes were
legal experts on the Law, the Commandments given to Moses by God; and the Pharisees
scrupulously followed and held others to the letter of that Law. They were very
big on rules and regulations.
But Jesus tells
them, and us, that it’s about much more than the letter of the law. It’s about
mercy and forgiveness and inclusion and the choices we are faced with in
everyday life. It’s about loving and honoring our neighbor just because he or
she exists, just because he or she is a fellow child of God.
Jesus affirms the
Law, the commandments handed down to Moses: we shouldn’t kill each other, we
shouldn’t cheat on our spouse, and we shouldn’t perjure ourselves.
But he goes
beyond that. He tells us that God’s law is not only a matter of external
actions like killing, or committing adultery, or lying under oath. God’s law is
also about what goes on deep within our hearts and minds. It’s about anger and
hurtful words; it’s about gossip, bullying, hate and exclusion; it’s about
lustful thoughts, and dishonesty in our transactions and our relationships.
In the end, it’s all
about the choices we make. The choices between good and evil that we hear about
in next Sunday’s first reading from the Book of Sirach; and the hidden wisdom
that St Paul tells us about in the second reading: the wisdom that God has
implanted within our hearts calling us to know the difference between right and
wrong.
How radical was
Jesus: “If you bring your gift to the
altar, and when you get there you remember that another person has something
against you, leave your gift at the altar, go first and make peace with that
person, and then, and only then, come back and offer your gift.”
Each night before
we go to sleep, before we say our prayers, and each Sunday before we come to
the Lord’s Table, let us look deeply within our hearts and ask ourselves if
there is any unfinished business in our life, any anger, any dishonesty, any lust,
any meanness.
And if the answer
is ‘yes’, let us go and make peace with the persons we may have hurt, peace within
ourselves, and peace with our loving God.
Jesus wasn’t
kidding around or just making a suggestion. He really meant what he said.
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Readers
of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:
Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday
Life
Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for
Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
