Matthew 5:37
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,'and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Readings for Sunday: Sirach, 1 Corinthians, Matthew
Reflection:
Why did God give us the Ten Commandments? Is he a cosmic kill joy? While people will usually agree with them in general, they will excuse themselves from following them asserting that reality is more complex, that at times you have to lie, or steal, etc. Or how about this one: it’s ok to not keep holy the Sabbath day holy (going to Sunday mass) so long as it’s to attend children’s sporting events. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”
What is the purpose of the law, specifically the moral law? In the first reading from Sirach, we hear: “If you choose you can keep the Commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live… Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.” The life that the Commandments offer is a life of true love. It is not about what we feel, as feelings constantly change, but agape, which is the Koine Greek word for “love” that Jesus uses.
Agape is to do good to/for another for that person’s sake, without expecting repayment. You truly can categorize each of the commandments under the banner of Love of God, or Love of Neighbor.
Anytime we break a commandment, we do evil to God, our neighbor, and ourselves. As Jesus reminds us, even looking lustfully at another person is a choice, reducing that person to that status of an object for one’s own pleasure in the mind. Of course, usually, the actual action of adultery begins in one’s thought process. That is why we seek holiness, to truly love as Jesus loves, to do and will the good of God and neighbor at all times.
Reflection Questions
- How do I see God’s commandments, as liberating or oppressive? Do I see today’s Gospel message truly as good news?
- Am I committed to pursuing holiness, authentic love of neighbor, in my daily life? Am I willing to work on/change my thought patterns, to think like Christ?
- If someone could observe me when I think I am alone, what behaviors would they see?








