Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Our readings today address the choices we have in life. Sirach seems to say that, in essence, every choice that we make comes down to this: we choose between life and death or, stated differently, between good and evil. Then the Sacred Writer cautions us further that, “whatever we choose shall be given to us.”
It is not often we think of the choices we make throughout the day as either good or evil or between life and death. We probably make hundreds of choices over the course of an ordinary day. Yet, it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that every choice we make counts; every choice we make has us heading in one direction or another. We often find ourselves in situations where we must compromise... our faith, our values, our entire belief system. Jesus, in saying that he has come to fulfill the law, not to abolish it, reminds us that we have a reference point on how to determine if we are making good or bad choices. His focal point is … the Law, specifically, the Law God handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus expands the meaning of the Law when he interprets it in a much broader sense. He equates anger with the act of killing another person. Then again, the act of calling someone a fool and thereby diminishing their dignity as a child of God becomes punishable by eternal damnation….
I don’t think that Jesus is being overly scrupulous. But, he is being very cautious. He knows that it is the little things that trip us up not only in the day-to-day happenings in our material life but also on our spiritual journey as well. He knows that every choice we make is either drawing us nearer to him or has us moving further away from him. He knows that little by little we can lose the kingdom of heaven by making bad choices.
Jesus taught us that the best choice we can make is to choose to love, to love God first and foremost, and to love others, even our enemies as well. And this happens every time we choose to put others first, and by doing so, we deepen our love of God, which is always the right choice!
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Please Visit www.deaconspod.com for a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer.
OTHER RESOURCES
Recommended Reading: Thoughts Matter, by Mary Margaret Funk, OSB. John Cassian taught that real intimacy with God in prayer demands renouncing one's former way of life, the thoughts belonging to that former way of life, and one's very idea of God. In Thoughts Matter, Funk explains well how failure to control these thoughts can undermine our spiritual life, and she instructs readers on how effectively to overcome these thoughts and to focus instead on thoughts in harmony with God's will. The result is an experience of joy, hope, and freedom from enslavement to our appetites. Readers will come away enlightened, strengthened, and inspired to delve more deeply into a life of intimacy with God.
Recommended YouTube Video: Glory Be podcast Episode 37 Sister Meg Funk
"We don't have [to work] to pray. We have to let prayer happen to us. The Holy Spirit is already alive in us. When we renounce our afflictions, prayer starts surging up." Sr. Mary Margaret Funk has been a Benedictine nun at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN, since 1961. She holds a M.A. from Catholic University in Religion and Religious Education and a M.S. from Indiana University. She’s the author of five books in the Matter Series that brings forward the teachings of the Desert Spirituality. She is currently facilitating the St. Enda retreat, a 100-day online retreat. In this episode Sr. Mary Margaret gives the listener a little insight on how our thoughts matter in our effort to grow in spirituality.
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