Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5, 17-37
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
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
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 by 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.”
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill
1) Fulfill. There are times that Catholics use “mercy” as if it were free flowing and we must remember that there is an essential point: “repentance” but also the requirement of the purpose of amendment. I must recognize that it is a process because changes and accomplishments do not happen from one day to the next, it’s a daily process. This is like gymnastics, a personal and daily challenge. Do you want to undertake it? Or do you want to self-justify yourself?
2) Do not kill. Sometimes in confession I have heard people say: “Father, except for killing I have done everything else” And I say to them, “Have you criticized or gossiped?” Take care of that tremendous weapon you have in your mouth, criticizing kills many people and before putting your tongue in motion, you should think hard. Because recovering the dignity of your brother who you have destroyed before others can be really difficult. With your words you might have ruined your brother’s life.
3) God works through you. Learn to discover that it’s not people around you who complicate your life and it’s not others who don’t allow you to be happy. It’s you who must remember the treasures there are within your soul and the gifts that God has given you. It’s true that there are situations and moments when things escape you, and that doesn’t make you good or bad, but rather those situations surpass you. Remember you have virtues and possibilities to help the lives of many, but don’t let people pull you down with their criticism and opinions. Learn to know and accept yourself as you are and recognize what God wants and needs from you for others. That way you’ll learn to see that your life is unique, and that God works through you. When you are clear about this, you’ll be able to let go of poisonous criticism and hurtful comments, and fulfill God’s will in you.
Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
