Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sir 15:15-20, Ps 119, Cor 2:6-10, Mt 5:17-37
“Blessed are they who obey God’s decrees, who seek God with all their heart.” -Psalm 119
As human beings, we are free to choose. In today’s reading from Sirach, we are guided to make responsible choices that will enhance our own good and the good of others. Good and evil, life and death, are placed before us. We are encouraged to choose positively and enthusiastically from a depth that springs not from anxiety or fear, but rather from love.
We are encouraged to remain hopeful, regardless of circumstance, for if we trust in God, we too can experience the fullness of life. Above all else, it is God’s love for us that draws us into intimate relationships with the divine and heightens our concern for one another.
In Psalm 119, we are reminded to choose from a stance of discernment and loving commitment. The commandments are meant to be guides intended to lead us to a fullness of life. The richness of this loving experience is beyond our expectations. “It has not entered the human heart what God has prepared for those who love.”
The call to love is a unifying experience. Scripture frequently reminds us that the love of God and the love of neighbors go hand in hand. In today’s readings from Matthew, we are reminded that “if you bring your gifts to the altar and recall that your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled, and then come to the altar with your gift.”
Striving to put on the mind and heart of Jesus on a daily basis, will enable us to live a happy, joy-filled life. We are called to be loving people, enabling others to love.
And so we pray:
Compassionate God, continue to work in and through us. Make of us a free and loving people, formed in the way of Jesus, and increasingly committed to the well being of our sisters and brothers.
Amen.
Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, OP
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