6th Week in Ordinary Time
12th February 2023 (Sunday) Readings and Reflection
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Reading of the Day
First Reading: Sirach 15:15-20
If you desire, you will keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of choice. He has placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish. Life and death are in front of people, and whichever one chooses will be given to him. For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees everything; his eyes are on those who fear him, and he knows a person's every deed. He has not commanded anyone to be ungodly, and he has not given anyone permission to sin.
Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 (R. 1b)
R/. Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord!
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Brethren: Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"- these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Gospel : Matthew 5:17-37
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murder will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Wisdom is the pivot!
Indicative: To obtain wisdom and to live wisely is more worth and meritorious, beneficial, and life-renewing, rather than gaining all the great matters of the world{alertSuccess}
1. The focus of today’s Word of God is wisdom. Wisdom is the greatest rarity and also a rapid diminution. Competence, intelligence, talent, capacity, technique, skill, efficiency, ease, comfort – all these are increasing but wisdom is decreasing.
2. But what is wisdom? It is the discernment between two choices, one, the right and the other, wrong, the good and the evil. In the first reading, this is the choice between fire and water, life and death, good and evil, and blessing and curse.
3. In the gospel, this wisdom is to discern between the old law and the new law, the imperfect way and the perfect way, the deficient Judaic tradition, and the complete Christian living. We are called to be wise and to discern and choose the new law, and perfect way of Christian living, which surpasses, perfects, and completes the old (Mt 5. 17-18). We shall reflect on some of these implications.
4. This is the wisdom that we give importance both to the big commandments as well as the small, in contrast to the old way which neglects the small (Mt 5. 19). The new way is loyalty in all things. We strive to be righteous holistically and not only legalistically, in contrast to the old way (Mt 5. 20). The concern is not so much murder or no murder, not only to avoid what is forbidden and punishable by the letter of the law but also to promote the spirit of the law, the spirit of true piety and fraternity (Mt 5. 21-26).
5. This is the wisdom and the concern is not so much adultery or no adultery. It is not only the external and physical rectitude but also the interior and spiritual rectitude, to be clear of heart as well. It is not enough to avoid the external acts of sin, but also to avoid internal impure thoughts and sinful inclinations (Mt 5. 27-28).
6. This is the wisdom and the concern is not so much whether to have all the parts of the body or to remove them when they cause, but to guard against hell and not so much to safeguard the whole body; not so much to protect the body in its entirety, but to protect entire life for eternity (Mt 5. 29-30).
7. This is the wisdom and the concern is not so much divorce or no divorce, but marital fidelity and inseparable union (Mt 5. 31-32). The concern is not so much keeping the oath or breaking it, but rather fostering a consistent sense of self-responsibility, reliability, and truthfulness (Mt 5. 33-37).
Imperative: What is the use of acquiring a whole lot of knowledge, capacity, material abundance, and recognition, but failing to be wise and thus losing an integral and serene living?{alertSuccess}