6th Sun 2014

HOMILIES - THE SIXTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME - SUNDAY Download This Homily

February 16, 2014

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

Daily Mass Reading - Audio

Kingdom Morality

1. Sermon on the Mount

·         A tremendous departure from the accepted idea of time

·       A noble attempt to release the life of Spirit from the shackles of dogmatic religion and ritualistic morality.

·         Old familiar words are used; but they were given new meanings

·         Old moral codes were invoked, but they received inward content and direction

·         Old familiar hopes are mentioned, only to be fulfilled with new spiritual meaning

·         All the innovations are prefaced with a “but I say to you”, conveying a sense of authority

·         It is refreshing vision. Jesus visualizes an authentic human life and inspires us to lead a holy and virtuous life. It sets the goal of religion. The emphasis is on the sadhana, the practice of religion, with the view of attaining sakshatkara, realization.  Religion is realization – an intense experience of God. It is a new way of being and becoming

·         It is character. IT is an adventure. It is something that sets the person on fire. Having the wings of fire (anointed by the Spirit) starts realizing the vision – establishing theKingdom ofGod.

·         They are so compelling and very powerful precisely because Jesus lived the Sermon on the Mount

·         Mahatma Gandhi was inspired by the verses in the Sermon of the Mount – “Don’t resist evil by evil, but conquer evil by good” (Matt  5: 38)

2. Fulfillment of prophesies in the life of Jesus

Mathew had spoken earlier about how incidents in the life of Jesus fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets (1:22, 2:5, 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14). He had used the same word fulfill to refer to Jesus’ approach to law.  The word law translated the Hebrew word ‘Torah’, which referred, not only the Ten Commandments, but to the entire way of life and practices with regard to the covenantal relationship with God.

It is said about the Jews of the modern world that they are very strict is studying and by-hearting the ‘Torah’ from their childhood onwards which makes their intellect sharp and powerful. The children grow disciplined and acquire great intellectual acumens.  The Jewish Americans who control to a certain extend the economy is a good example how they are been trained from their childhood onwards.

Jesus would bring  a new mind set to the Torah.  The prophets had interpreted and studied