The gift of The Law is Jesus

« Sunday, February 16, 2020 »

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 76

Is-Sitt Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1     SIRAK15:15-20

If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man’s every deed. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.

Qari I      mill-Ktieb ta’ Bin Sirak 15, 15-20

Jekk trid tista’ tħares il-kmandamenti, u b’rieda tajba tista’ tkun fidil. Hu qegħedlek quddiemek in-nar u l-ilma; liema trid minnhom, midd idek għalih. Quddiem il-bniedem hemm il-ħajja u l-mewt, u liema tixtieq qalbu lesta għalih. Għax għerf il-Mulej hu bla qjies, qawwi f’setegħtu u jara kollox. Għajnejh fuq dawk li jibżgħu minnu, u jagħraf kull ma jagħmel il-bniedem. Lil ħadd ma qabbad jgħix ħażin, u lil ħadd ma rħielu jidneb. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm        PSALM 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

Blessed are they whose way is blameless,

who walk in the law of the LORD.

Blessed are they who observe his decrees,

who seek him with all their heart.

R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

You have commanded that your precepts

be diligently kept.

Oh, that I might be firm in the ways

of keeping your statutes!

R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Be good to your servant, that I may live

and keep your words.

Open my eyes, that I may consider

the wonders of your law.

R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,

that I may exactly observe them.

Give me discernment, that I may observe your law

and keep it with all my heart.

R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Salm Responsorjali      Salm 118 (119), 1-2.4-5.17-18.33-34

R/. (1b): Henjin dawk li jimxu fil-liġi tal-Mulej

Henjin dawk li triqthom bla ħtija,

li jimxu fil-liġi tal-Mulej.

Henjin dawk li jħarsu l-preċetti tiegħu,

u li jfittxuh b’qalbhom kollha. R/.

Int tajt il-preċetti tiegħek,

biex inħarsuhom bir-reqqa.

Ħa jżomm sħiħ il-mixi tiegħi

fil-ħarsien tal-kmandamenti tiegħek! R/.

Kun twajjeb mal-qaddej tiegħek,

agħtini li ngħix u nħares il-kelma tiegħek.

Iftaħli għajnejja,

biex nara l-għeġubijiet tal-liġi tiegħek. R/.

Għallimni, Mulej, it-triq tal-kmandamenti tiegħek;

jiena rrid nibqa’ fiha sa l-aħħar.

Fehemni biex inħares il-liġi tiegħek

u nagħmilha b’qalbi kollha. R/.

Reading 2     1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-10

Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

Qari II     mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 2, 6-10

Ħuti, aħna ngħallmu l-għerf fost dawk li huma perfetti, imma mhux l-għerf ta’ din id-dinja, anqas l-għerf tal-prinċpijiet ta’ din id-dinja, li se jintemmu fix-xejn. Ngħallmu l-għerf ta’ Alla moħbi f’misteru, li Alla fassal qabel iż-żmien għall-glorja tagħna. Ebda wieħed mill-mexxejja ta’ din id-dinja ma għarfu; kieku għarfuh, qatt ma kienu se jsallbu lill-Mulej tal-glorja. Imma, bħalma hu miktub: “Dak li għajn qatt ma rat u widna qatt ma semgħet, u dak li qatt ma tnissel f’qalb il-bnedmin, dak Alla lesta għal dawk li jħobbuh”. Alla rrivelahulna permezz tal-Ispirtu; għax l-Ispirtu jgħarbel kollox, sa fil-qiegħ ta’ Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel    MATTHEW 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

Evanġelju        Qari skond San Mattew 5, 17-37

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Xejn taħsbu li ġejt inwaqqa’ l-Liġi jew il-Profeti; jiena ma ġejtx biex inwaqqagħhom, iżda biex inwassalhom għall-milja tagħhom. Tassew ngħidilkom, li sa ma jkunu għaddew is-sema u l-art anqas l-iżgħar ittra jew tikka waħda mil-Liġi ma titneħħa sa ma jkun seħħ kollox. Jekk mela xi ħadd iġib fix-xejn wieħed mill-iżgħar minn dawn il-kmandamenti u jgħallem lin-nies biex jagħmlu l-istess, dan jissejjaħ l-iżgħar fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet. Imma min iħarishom u jgħallimhom, dan kbir jissejjaħ fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet. Ngħidilkom li, jekk il-ħajja tajba tagħkom ma tkunx ħafna aħjar minn dik tal-kittieba u l-Fariżej, ma tidħlux fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet. Smajtu xi ntqal lin-nies ta’ dari: “La toqtolx. Jekk xi ħadd joqtol ikun ħaqqu l-kundanna”. Imma jiena ngħidilkom li l-kundanna tistħoqq ukoll lil min jinkorla għal ħuh. Jekk imbagħad xi ħadd lil ħuh jgħidlu: “Ġifa,” ikun ħaqqu l-kundanna tas-Sinedriju; u jekk jgħidlu: “Iblah,” ikun ħaqqu n-nar tal-infern. Mela jekk tkun qiegħed ittalla’ l-offerta tiegħek fuq l-artal u hemm tiftakar li ħuk għandu xi ħaġa kontra tiegħek, ħalli l-offerta tiegħek hemmhekk quddiem l-artal u mur l-ewwel irranġa ma’ ħuk, u mbagħad ejja talla’ l-offerta tiegħek. Lil min ikun se jtellgħek il-qorti ħudu bil-kelma t-tajba mill-aktar fis waqt li tkun għadek miegħu fit-triq, li ma jmurx jagħtik f’idejn l-imħallef, u l-imħallef f’idejn l-għassies, u hekk issib ruħek fil-ħabs. Tassew ngħidlek, minn hemm ġew ma toħroġx qabel ma tkun ħallast l-aħħar tliet ħabbiet. Smajtu xi ntqal: “La tagħmilx adulterju”. Imma jiena ngħidilkom li kull min iħares lejn mara biex jixtieqha jkun ġa għamel adulterju magħha f’qalbu. Jekk għajnek il-leminija hi għalik okkażjoni ta’ dnub, aqlagħha barra u armiha ’l bogħod minnek, għax aktar ikun jaqbillek jekk tintiliflek biċċa waħda minn ġismek milli ġismek kollu jinxteħet fl-infern. U jekk idek il-leminija hi għalik okkażjoni ta’ dnub, aqtagħha barra u armiha ’l bogħod minnek, għax aktar ikun jaqbillek jekk tintiliflek biċċa waħda minn ġismek milli ġismek kollu jmur fl-infern.Intqal ukoll: “Min jibgħat lil martu jkollu jagħtiha l-kitba tad-divorzju”. Imma jiena ngħidilkom li kull min jibgħat lil martu barra l-każ ta’ żwieġ ħażin, iwaqqagħha l-adulterju; u min jiżżewweġ waħda mibgħuta minn ħaddieħor jagħmel adulterju. Smajtu wkoll xi ntqal lin-nies ta’ dari: “Tonqosx mill-wegħda li ħlift imma rodd lill-Mulej il-wegħdiet li ħliftlu”. Imma jiena ngħidilkom biex ma taħilfu xejn, u la bis-sema, għax hu t-tron ta’ Alla, u la bl-art, għax fuqha jserraħ riġlejh, u lanqas b’Ġerusalemm, għaliex hija l-Belt tas-Sultan il-kbir. U lanqas b’rasek ma għandek taħlef, għaliex inti anqas biss xagħra waħda ma għandek ħila tagħmilha bajda jew sewda. Mela ħa jkun id-diskors tagħkom: “iva, iva”; “le, le”; kull ma hu iżjed minn hekk ikun ġej mill-Ħażin”.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Law of Liberty (and its fulfilment)

Reflection by Archbishop Francesco Follo 

In Sunday’s Gospel Jesus says that he wants to bring ” to fulfilment the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 5:17). In fact, the Christ, the Word made flesh for love of us, is not only the Word of the Law, namely the Way through which we have to go, but it is also the Truth that fulfils the law, and the Life that rewards its accomplishment.

What is then the “fulfilment” of the law? Fulfilling of the law is obedience to the commandment of love (cf. Rm 13: 9-10). Obedience becomes the sign that one lives under the grace of love. “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), because love does not replace the law, but complies with it and “accomplishes” it.

Indeed, love is the only force that can really observe the law. We can say even more: ” Jesus is the fulfilment of the law, as he fulfils its authentic meaning by the total gift of himself: He himself becomes a living, personal “[4] and bright law. Already Psalm 19 compares the law of God to the light of the sun, when it says that “the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye” (19: 9).

The Book of Proverbs also states that “the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light “(6:23). Finally, we must not forget that Jesus himself presents his person as the definitive revelation using the same image “I am the light of the world whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (Jn 8: 12), namely the light of love. Christ is the Light without which we can walk only groping around. He is the Light that makes us know ourselves, understand the world and know where to go.

Walking in the light of Christ means taking up our daily cross and receive peace. Peace of heart is the strength of the believer: if we are steadfast in obeying the commands of God, our perseverance will be source of happiness. Let’s pray to our Father in Heaven that Christ, our Law [5], may enlighten our hearts, fortify our souls and give us the wisdom of the simple so that we can always walk in His light, even when there are difficulties, troubles and dangers.

Jesus didn’t begin to preach, saying, ” Repent and believe the gospel so that the Kingdom may come to you “. He began by saying: ” The kingdom of God has come among you: repent and believe the gospel.” Not first conversion then salvation, but first the gift of salvation and then conversion.

In Christianity there are duties and commandments, but the plan of the commandments, including the greatest of all that is to love God and the neighbour, is not the first plan, but the second one. Before it there is the plan of the gift, the plan of grace. “We love because he first loved us “(1 Jan 4:19). It is from the gift that the duty flows, not vice versa.

The law is a gift.

     Christ tells us not only “what to do “, but “who we should be,” and therefore teaches us how we should live to realize the communion in the love for God and for our brothers and sisters. With the observance of the commandments we obey with love to the law that is rooted in the love of God and that indicates the will of God to rule our lives with his command of charity. With this observance to the law of freedom we become more “human”, making shining in us the image and likeness of God who created us for the life with Him. 

      Saying that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it, Jesus intends to take away the fear of punishment and to root us in confident love. He is the Man and knows the man, understanding his weakness. He knows that a law imposed by fear of punishment is fulfilled, we can say, three times out of ten. He also knows that a law that guarantees a prize is observed seven times out of ten. He wants to help us to observe it ten times out of ten. As a good older brother He reminds us that not only the law was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai among thunder and lightning, but it came from the Thought of God, who gave it to us thanks to his Love and proclaimed it with his Word.  Jesus, the Man who has God as Father, teaches us that holiness is not a “job” for a few, but the vocation of all the baptized.

   

 Holiness is not separation from the everyday life and from the daily toil to live, but to live in the trust and confidence as children do in their mother’s arms. A significant example is that of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. What did this woman do that we cannot do? This small, great Saint answered to love as a young woman of 24 years can do. She didn’t do great things.

     The greatness of our actions depends on the faith we have in His love. Let’s imitate Little Theresa, who believed with the certainty of being loved by God. She shook the Heaven with her “simple, small” acts of love, with a smile, with another step in the garden, with the offer of its pain due to bone cancer so that a missionary might have the strength to return to the path of evangelization.

     Even her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Martin, lived like little Therese Martin of the Child Jesus and I think that they taught the lifestyle that the Carmelite Saint travelled as the ” little way” . The little way of the spiritual childhood of Therese of Lisieux requires the pure and poor heart of a simple person like little Therese who knew how to stand empty-handed before God, without any hold except “trust and nothing else than trust”.  Holiness and happiness are also a possible goal for us; it is “enough” to live every moment of our daily life offering it to God.

     The law of love is not giving a lot or a little, but to give with a lot of love. With the mouth we talk, with the eyes we see, with the hands we do; with the consecrated life the mouth speaks words of praise to God, the eyes contemplate the love of God and the hands come together to pray to God and open to donate.

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