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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 or sister has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother or sister 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 be 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.”
Reflection
The entire reading of today’s Gospel touches on many of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus explains to his listeners that he has come to fulfill the laws and honor the words of the prophets of their Jewish tradition.
The laws given by God to Moses forbid killing; Jesus goes further and explains that we are not even to have anger against another. In the Mosaic law, the Hebrews were not to dishonor one’s spouse by committing adultery; in Jesus’ new covenant, it is love and reconciliation with one’s spouse and one’s community that Jesus stresses.
Other teachings in this portion of Matthew’s Gospel relate to portions of the Old Covenant that may be difficult to understand in the context of our times.
Perhaps returning to the Gospel from the first Sunday of February where Jesus gives his followers the Beatitudes can help us and guide our reflection for this week also.
The Beatitudes are the essence of Jesus’ New Covenant teaching and we cannot fail if they are the guidelines for our life.
Action
It might be helpful to choose one or two of the Beatitudes to reflect on each week of Lent and ponder the question: How will I live this Beatitude in my life today?
Marilyn Webb is a Providence Associate. She graduated from a Sisters of Providence high school in Indianapolis and from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She is retired and enjoys volunteering. Marilyn frequently volunteers as a docent at the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. She also is involved in teaching Centering Prayer and in serving in leadership for Contemplative Outreach, Ltd. and the Association of Contemplative Sisters.
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