Word from the Pastor

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Set Free by Christ’s Law”
Sirach 15:15-20; 1Cor.2:6-10; Mt.17-37

Dear parish family,
This Sunday’s readings challenge us to choose freely and wisely to observe the laws given by a loving and caring God. He revealed His laws to His Chosen People through Moses and the prophets in the Old Testament, and through His own Son, Jesus, in the New Testament. For the Israelites, the Torah was not a set of laws but the instruction or teaching intended to promote the holiness and wholeness of each believer. It was the revealed will of a caring, loving, compassionate and merciful God, for the people with whom He had made His covenant. ​

The first reading, taken from Sirach, contains the clearest statement in the Old Testament concerning the God-given freedom of the human will. It exonerates God from all responsibility for evil in the world. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments… before you are life and death, whichever you choose shall be given you.” In the second reading, Paul challenges his Corinthian believers to appreciate the wisdom of God’s saving plan for His people, a plan hidden for ages but now revealed by the Spirit. In today’s Gospel, while challenging his disciples to live a life of justice and righteousness which should exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus, as the new lawgiver, sets forth his own position with regard to the Law given through Moses, by providing new interpretation and meaning for the old laws. Hence, Jesus explains the real meaning of the three Mosaic laws concerning murder, adultery and false oaths. ​

The message for our life today is that we need to obey God’s Law, appreciating its basic principles. In obeying God’s law and Church law, let us remember the two basic principles on which laws are based, namely, the principle of reverence and the principle of respect. In the first four of the Ten Commandments, we are asked to reverence God, reverence His holy Name, reverence His holy day and reverence our father and mother. The next set of commandments instructs us to respect life, one’s personal integrity and good name, the legal system, another’s property and another’s spouse. Our obedience to these laws must be prompted by love of God and gratitude to God and His blessings. ​

Another important teaching of Jesus for our life is that we need to forgive, forget and move toward reconciliation. St. Paul advises: “Be angry but do not sin” (Eph 4: 26). When we keep anger in our spirit, we are inviting physical illnesses like hypertension and mental illnesses like depression. Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry, wait before acting on our anger, give it time to detoxify and cool off, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and give the Holy Spirit time to help us to see the event through Jesus’ eyes instead of through anger’s eyes. ​

Have a blessed week! ​

Fr. Jean Jadotte
Pastor