Homily on “Sermon on the Mount: A Matter of the Heart” based on the Gospel of Matthew 5:17-37 (Cycle A – Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time):
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself and gave directions to His people through the law and the prophets. The law began with the Ten commandments that were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These ten commandments became 613 commandments in the Jewish tradition.
Just as Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, Jesus climbs the mountain of the Beatitudes to present the New Law to the people… called the Sermon on the Mount.
In our Gospel reading, 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. In the Gospel, the word “fulfill” does not mean – to do away with – but it means to make complete, or to supply what is lacking – to make perfect something that is imperfect.
Matthew's Gospel was written primarily for Christians who were Jews who knew the commandments, but they knew them as their rabbis had taught them. The rabbis, for the most part Pharisees, put all the emphasis on the letter of the law and on its external observance.
Jesus taught that that the attitude of his followers towards the commandments must be different, and must surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees… because merely fulfilling the law was not enough. The attitudes and lifestyles of the Christian must reflect living the law. That is why Jesus began with the Beatitudes…
….Instead of giving a list of do’s and don’ts, Jesus gave a list of what we are to become:
Peacemaker, Merciful, Pure in Heart, Hungry for Righteousness,
Jesus, by His teachings and His life, showed the true purpose behind the law… the Spirit of the Law. Jesus taught his audience to understand that obedience is not the ultimate purpose but becoming more like God…a matter of Being.
People see our actions but God sees our intentions. We can never deceive God who is able to look into our hearts and know what lies there.
Again, Christ is not abolishing the ten commandments, but He intensifies them and He is directing his followers – us – to go deeper to perfection – to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Journey to perfection can seem impossible to achieve… but perfection is actually not so much our current state – but more of a movement to the right direction – to become whole and complete.
The law, understood correctly, guides people in right relationships with God and others – the two greatest commandments – love of God and love of neighbor.
Jesus explains that our external actions must be a reflection of what we really are like. If what we do is not a reflection of who we are, then we are hypocrites. Hypocrite, that’s the word that Jesus used over and over to describe the Pharisees.
To demonstrate his point, Jesus contrasts the written law of the Torah with the new Christian attitude.
For example Jesus says, "You have heard it said that murder is wrong, but harboring hatred is also wrong even if you don't physically kill someone. Why? Because murder is conceived by hatred. The person who hates but does not murder is not a good person. He is just a person who has followed the social norms perhaps to avoid punishment.
Instead of feeling self-satisfied because we are not murderers, let us examine our hearts to see the angers or resentments we may have towards others.
“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.
Meaning - To think and entertain evil thoughts is the same as actually committing the act. So do not entertain the evil thoughts that cross your mind. It is funny that someone said: “But I do not entertain the evil thoughts. They entertain me.”
We may not have committed murder or adultery, but maybe, if given the opportunity, we might have done it.
Jesus said: 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. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Meaning - Our trustworthiness should be so great that it would NOT be necessary to invoke God’s name or to take oaths. Other people, especially those close to us, need to be able to depend on us and believe that what we say is what we mean and what we will do.
So - How can our righteousness then exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees? We have what they did not have: We have Jesus dwelling in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. By our own merits, we are unable to keep the commandments; but Jesus is with us, we have the strength and understanding to obey. Through faith and by virtue of our baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are given the power to live a whole new life of obedience to the Father.
If we are living the Spirit of the Law with the help of God’s grace, then we do not actually need the extra reminder or commandment of the written law because we already observe the law naturally with our heart…
St. Paul was a Pharisee and a strict observer of the following of the law of Moses as such he believed he was working out his salvation by his careful observance… Once St. Paul was converted, after encountering Christ, he began to realize that even perfect observance and following every precept of the law did not lead to salvation because salvation comes from our personal relationship with Jesus and Jesus’ free gift of love.
Meaning – this is very important - we do good deeds or avoid evil as an expression of faith – rooted in our personal relationship with God - and not to earn or merit our salvation because if we can earn our way to heaven by our good deeds, or asceticism and long formulas of prayers, etc. - that would be trying to save ourselves through our own merits, therefore, we do not need Christ.
The truth is – Everything is Grace - We cannot do anything enough to earn our way to heaven. We cannot save ourselves. We need a Savior.
What – then - do we hope to gain by our good works and avoiding violating the ten commandments. Why? Why are we here in the church? Why do we come to mass?
Why? It is how we say thank you to God. We love God and others because that is how we respond to the fact that God loves us. He loved us first.
We love and respond to being loved = in this we are called to be gracious and merciful as God is…and do what Jesus asks of us – to love one another as He loves us…
In the first reading - God gives us a choice: choose Him or reject Him. If we reject Him, we die. If we choose Him, we live. Before man are life and death, . . . whichever he chooses shall be given him. (Sirach 15:17)
Free will. It’s God’s greatest gift to us. Of course, our heavenly Father longs for us to choose life in him, but he will never force himself on us. While God honors our choices, he also respects the consequences of our choices.
So, is it easier to be a modern Christian than an ancient Jew? Absolutely not. Christianity is extremely demanding upon us all because it calls us to be 100% committed to living in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is it worth it? The answer - From our second reading today:
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.
Is it worth it? Definitely… beyond what we can ever imagine.
We’re in for a glorious surprise!
