OMELIE / Omelie EN

12 feb 2023

12/02/2023 - 6th Sunday in O. T. - year A

12/02/2023 - 6^th Sunday in O. T. - year A

Reading 1 SIR 15,15-20 Psalm 118 Reading 2 1COR 2,6-10 Gospel MT 5,17-37

Secrets and mysteries! The mystery of God was a secret and now it has been revealed. This is what Saint Paul is telling us. Nobody, not the powerful nor the wise of this world, have been able or have known how to expose the secrets of God the Father. Only those who love Him can know something, and really love Him only those who welcome the one who has been crucified. Among them it is us: we can brag about it, but with a lot of humility, because if we were not humble the Father would not show Himself to us: in fact He is the one who makes Himself known, it is not we who uncover the secrets of His heart. He opens it up only to the little and the humble.

Today Jesus is showing us His way to read God’s commandments. He reads them as a son, not as a servant. The servants obey God without loving Him, careful to follow orders to the T, and, additionally, fearfully: they are expecting a prize and fear a punishment. Jesus instead tells us how a son obeys, a son who loves His Father, who wants to cooperate with Him. A son knows that God the Father loves, so he receives His commandments as a gift out of love both for those who obey them and those who are involved in this obedience. So Jesus is putting us in God’s heart and He explains us its intimate being, is revealing us the beauty of His love and its depth. In the discourse of the mountain, which we are still listening to, He gives us some examples of how to read the commandments.

Why has God said to men: “Do not kill”? God has given this instruction because He loves all men, His creatures. His love for them is deep and unchanging. A son does not limit himself to avoid murder, but will also try to make the Father’s love for everyone his own. A son will try to help men grow, to help with their growth in all ways to love. To kill means to take someone’s life, and there are many ways to take away life from people: an offensive remark or derision can hurt and ruin the day of a person or even stop them from growing as a person.

When you quarrel with someone regarding any interest of yours, you give them anxiety and ruin their sleep. Those who love God as sons do, therefore, never quarrel or offend anyone.

And why the Father has given us the commandment: “Do not commit adultery”? If you listen as a son then you are trying to understand His way to perceive marriage. If He has blessed the joining together of a man and a woman, you cannot even imagine to break them apart, so to curse them: this would be offensive towards the Father, and it would be certainly damaging for those involved. It does not matter if you “like” the other man or woman more than your spouse, and not even if he or she are in it or they are even asking for it. You have to obey God, not other people.

If you join someone who cheats on their spouse, you help them to break a relationship sanctioned by God: you are also guilty before Him.

Every disobedience to God is not love for others. You cannot call love an action which is a disobedience towards the Father.

Another example of filial way to listen is given by Jesus regarding swearing. The latter is a very serious thing: it is about calling God as a witness of the truth of your yes or no. The commandment of not take a false oath is then a recommendation not to become accustomed with this way to express yourself, so never to swear in order to give credibility to your words. If you get used to speak the truth, then swearing will not be necessary. You are a son of God and what you are saying will be thought of and truthful, otherwise you open some space for lies, and you behave like a son of the devil.

All commandments are for life: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live”. It is foolish to ask God for comfort and happiness without stopping to listen to Him. He has shown us the way to joy and peace with His commands. It is wise instead to take seriously every word which comes from His mouth, and, naturally, to love His Word which has become flesh. Welcoming Jesus is the sign of the true way to listen to God, it is the most effective wisdom, it is the way of life!