Commentary for Sunday: 12th February

Matthew 5, 17-37:

Sunday, February 12, 2023 (6th Sunday O. T.)

“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, but to give fullness… I tell you the truth, unless you are better than the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

We still hear the saying that “Caesar’s wife must not only be Caesar’s wife, but must also appear to be Caesar’s wife”. But in our world things have changed. Now the important thing is not to be, but to appear to be. What counts is not being good, but looking good; it is not so much about being honest, but about being caught by justice. We live in a society dominated by appearances. This is not sincerity.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus calls us to acknowledge our failures, so that we can move on to something better (he calls it the Kingdom of God).

Is there any one of us who has not been angry with our brother or sister, or lied or looked at another person with evil desires? Jesus could also tell us that “let him who is without sin cast the first stone”. But he only calls us to act out of the sincerity of our heart and to rise above outward compliance and appearances. He calls us to authenticity. It calls us to make a greater effort on behalf of our brothers and sisters.

May our lives be built on truth and love. How good it would be if, losing our fear of what people will say, our life could be salt and light for those who are looking to us.

 

Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf

Do you build from truth and love?

 

Start typing and press Enter to search