HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

Readings for Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, February 12, 2017.
1st Reading:  Sirach 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. The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Ps: 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
R/. Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord!

Second Reading: 1st Corinthians 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. The word of the Lord.

Gospel: 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.” The gospel of the Lord.

SUNDAY REFLECTIONS:
This teaching from our Lord comes after a series of new and deeper teachings from our Lord on the Commandments of old.  Jesus mentions the Old Testament teachings that we ought not kill, commit adultery, or lie.  He then follows up each of these commandments with a deeper insight.  In the New Law of Jesus’ teaching, “Thou shall not kill” is deepened to mean that we ought to avoid all anger in our hearts.  “Do not commit adultery” is deepened to mean we ought not have lust in our heart.  And “Do not lie” is deepened and presented in a new way in the above quoted Scripture. The first thing to note is the more general fact that Jesus’ life and teaching brings us to a new depth of morality.  No longer are we to simply avoid seriously sinful actions, we are now called to avoid even interior tendencies toward these actions.  Not only must we purify our external actions, we must also purify our hearts.

This particular passage, that our “Yes” must mean “Yes,” and our “No” must mean “No,” is Jesus’ way of saying that the words we speak must flow from the honesty and integrity of our hearts.  In other words, what we say, exteriorly, must be spoken from the depths of our being.  Our words must flow from that which is in our hearts. What a profound lesson for us.  It’s so very easy, in life, to live in a two-faced way.  It’s easy to say only that which we believe benefits us the most, makes us look good, or makes a particular situation easier.  It’s a common tendency to say what we believe others want to hear or to say that which paints our lives in the best life. True honesty and integrity require that we speak only from the truth that resides within our hearts.  No, we do not have a moral duty to reveal every truth of our hearts publically.  Some things are to be reserved only for God or for confession.  But when we do feel compelled to speak, it’s essential that our words carry the integrity of truth in every way.  Otherwise, they are meaningless, deceptive and, ultimately, destructive.

Pray with me: Lord, please make me pure of heart.  Help me to be a person of honesty and integrity.  May the truth that You place in my heart be the basis of my actions and my words.  May I speak with a clear conscience always speaking what You give me to speak. Jesus, I trust in You that You alone will heal our sick brethren and set them free. May the souls of our faithful departed brethren rest in perfect peace, amen. Have a blessed and fulfilled Sunday.

Sourced by Wiezman Eleanya

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