Liturgy Alive

The liturgical calendar of the year

SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

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SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

 

  1. Beyond the Law
  2. Jesus Himself Is Our Law

Greeting (See 2 Cor 1:18-20)

The Son of God proclaimed to you
was never Yes and No;
with him it was always Yes.
That is why it is through Christ
that we say our Yes to God.
May the Spirit of Jesus be always with you.

R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction by the Celebrant

  1. Beyond the Law

Laws, orders, commandments, who likes them? Don’t they take away our freedom? Yet the Word of God tells us: make your free choice between life and death. We see Jesus make his free choice repeatedly, as at his baptism, his temptations, during his agony in the garden. He chose God, his mission, for that was his life. He lives in us; in us and with him he invites us to choose life and love and to go with him far beyond the commandments. Then we will be really free.

 

  1. Jesus Himself Is Our Law

A lot of Christians look upon their faith as a set of commandments to be obeyed and practices to be faithfully kept. Jesus' message to us today is: our faith is much more than rules and observances imposed from outside. Our faith is within us, in our hearts, and that faith tells us what to do; the Spirit is prompting us. But remember we can do nothing without Jesus. He is our model and our strength and we are united with him. We ask him in this Eucharist to help us see and do what is right.

 

Penitential Act

If you are bringing your offering to the altar
and there you remember
that your neighbor has something against you,
go and be reconciled first with your neighbor
and then come back and present your offering.
                  (pause)
Lord Jesus, you want us to respond to God’s love
not just according to the letter of the law
but with our whole heart:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you have made love
the foundation of all commandments:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, all your life
was a Yes to the Father and to people.
Make our Yes join yours:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, forgive us all our sins
and teach us to serve you and people
from the depths of our heart.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

Opening Prayer

Let us pray that we may share
in Jesus’ goodness and faithfulness
                  (pause)
Lord God, loving Father,
in your Son Jesus you have shown us
how we should seek and fulfill your loving will.
Dispose us to respond to your love
from the depth of our heart
and to be faithful to you in all we do.
Make us also respectful of one another
and attentive to the needs of people,
even when they remain indifferent and thankless,
that we may help to ban evil from this world
and bring to it your love and mercy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

First Reading (Sir 15:15-20): Choose Between Life and Death!

God has created us free. He trusts us to act responsibly by giving a response of love to his laws given for our happiness.

 

Reading 1 Sir 15:15-20

If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you;
if you trust in God, you too shall live;
he has set before you fire and water
to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.
Before man are life and death, good and evil,
whichever he chooses shall be given him.
Immense is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.
The eyes of God are on those who fear him;
he understands man's every deed.
No one does he command to act unjustly,
to none does he give license to sin.
 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

 

Second Reading (1 Cor 2:6-10): God’s Wise Plan Leads Us to                                                                              Happiness

If we love God, we rely on his wisdom. With the help of the Spirit, we carry out his plan; he will lead us to happiness.

 

Reading 2 1 Cor 2:6-10

Brothers and sisters:
We speak a wisdom to those who are mature,
not a wisdom of this age,
nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.
Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden,
which God predetermined before the ages for our glory,
and which none of the rulers of this age knew;
for, if they had known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written:
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,
this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
 

Alleluia cF. mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel (Mt 5:17-37 [long form] Mt 5:20-22,27-28,33-34,37

      [short form]): Jesus Invites Us to A Radical Choice

Jesus invites us to go beyond the commandments to seek God’s will and the good of people.

 

Gospel Mt 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."

or

MT 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37

Jesus said to his disciples:
"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.

"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.

"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.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,'and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the evil one."

 

Intercessions

Let us pray to God our Father, whose law is a light for our life. Let us say: R/ Lord, set your people free.

–   For the Church, God’s people on the march, that leaders and members may support one another in a spirit of service and sincere cooperation, let us pray: R/ Lord, set your people free.

–   For the leaders of nations, that they may respect and promote human rights and work relentlessly for justice and the happiness of all, let us pray: R/ Lord, set your people free.

–   For the poor, the sick and those living on the fringes of society, that the Good News of God’s love and mercy may be proclaimed to them first of all, let us pray: R/ Lord, set your people free.

–   For all of us, that we may never put the law above people but practice first the great commandment of loving one another, let us pray: R/ Lord, set your people free.

–   For our Christian communities, that we may seek God’s will together, accept one another, respect each other’s freedom, and bear witness to God’s goodness, let us pray: R/ Lord, set your people free.

Lord our God, hear our prayers for ourselves and for all of humanity. Give us the courage to be free and responsible for ourselves and for others as Jesus was, your Son, who lives with you for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
you have shown us in Jesus
what it means to say Yes to you.
As we join him in his sacrifice,
may we say Yes and do what we mean,
that our Yes to you may be
a faithful response of love to you
and to the people around us.
Make us free to serve you wholeheartedly
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

With Jesus we thank the Father for writing his law of love in our heart. With Jesus we offer our Yes to God.

 

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

With Jesus we pray to the Father
that we may do his will in everything. R/ Our Father...

 

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from our self-will
that makes us fall into sin.
Teach us to love your law
and to live according to its spirit
of commitment to you and to people.
May we serve you without fear
as we prepare in joy and hope
for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

 

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus the Lord,
whose words and deeds were
an unconditional Yes to the Father
and to us.
Happy are we to receive
his bread of life and strength. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

 

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
your Son Jesus has set before us
the demands of the Good News
and the table of himself.
In the tensions and risks of life;
with him may we choose you and happiness
rather than sin and death.
Give us a firm trust in you
that we can always count on you
and that your Spirit will guide us
to go the faithful way to you
shown us by your beloved Son.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing

May the almighty Father keep you in his love,
that you may not merely observe his law
but keep it in your heart and love it. R/ Amen.

May you follow in the footsteps of his Son Jesus Christ
and be faithful, whatever the cost,
to be free and to say Yes. R/ Amen.

May the Holy Spirit make you wise
and give you the insight and strength
to give a free and responsible answer to God. R/ Amen.

May almighty God bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

 

Go in peace and love one another.
R/ Thanks be to God.

 

Reflection:

12 February 2023

Matthew 5:17-37

You have heard…, but I tell you…

In the first phase of today’s Gospel, Jesus stresses the value of the Old Testament. It was an anticipation or a curtain-raiser for the definitive law which the Messiah would introduce.: “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfil them” (v. 17). 

Jesus’ message was the new Torah. He had proclaimed on the mountain a Torah that would upset the principles and values ​​of the Jewish customs of the day. As a supplement to the old law, Jesus announces the Beatitudes as the new proposal, bringing perfection to the old one. In the eyes of God, those whom the Old Law regarded as the first ones will appear as “the least,” and the others will be considered “the first” in the kingdom of heaven.

 In the second part of the Gospel (vv. 20-37), Jesus gives six examples of the new Law. But today’s reading takes only four. These are, indeed, four provisions that are found in the Old Testament. Jesus does not refute them but highlights their implications. 

Do not kill! (vv. 21-26): This commandment has no exceptions. It condemns any form of murder (Gen 9:5-6). Jesus gives a new meaning to a person’s right to live: It is essential to check if we have rejected anyone by refusing to talk to them, by denying them forgiveness, by continuing to accuse them of mistakes done, and by destroying their good name through gossips or slanders…. When we use offensive words, get angry, and hatch hatred has already killed one’s brother/sister (v. 22). 

The second example is the issue of adultery (vv. 27-30). The letter of the Torah prohibited only evil actions. But Jesus goes to the heart of the issue. Jesus insists on the need to have the courage to proceed with cuts, even though painful before evil desires become adulterous. The right eye and the right hand are the symbols of that which awakens lust and dangerous contacts. To cut off the hand or pluck out the eye does not mean bodily mutilation but refers to gruelling self-control, which Paul speaks about : “I punish my body and control it, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be rejected” (1Cor 9:27).

Gehenna is the valley that borders a side of the city of Jerusalem. It was the city’s garbage dump, the cursed place where babies had been sacrificed and burned to the god Moloch. It was believed that there was a door there that led to the world of demons. Jesus tells his listeners that when they fail to go beyond the letter of the Law and refuse to accept the proposal of the beatitudes, their life is worth the Gehenna – the garbage dump! 

 

 

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