6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 12/2/2017 - Gospel: Mt 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a. 37
Guided by God's love
Last week Jesus called his disciples to be salt of the earth and light for the world. At the end of the Gospel Jesus said: seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven. v. 16. The salt and light can be understood as salt for a human heart and light for our minds. The disciples of Jesus must learn to use them for promoting and supporting life and maintaining peace and advocating justice for all people. Salt is to give more taste for life and safeguard life from moral decay while light is for direction and shows the way for eternal life. It guides us on our pilgrimage towards the final goal which is the heavenly kingdom. When our lives are not guiding by God's love and mercy we become like a tasteless salt and are no good for the society. When our light is not shining we stumble on our way and even if we do help others we may have done it for our own glorification rather than for God. Misuse of salt and light would cause harm for both the human race and the ecology of the natural world. When soil is too salty it becomes a barren land and when there is too much light it scorches everything born dry. When a heart has none of God's love it knows no mercy and when a mind is not guided by virtue it know no justice.
The world has its own standard of goodness and expects their members to perform in order to live in peace and harmony and prosperity. We children of God are called to go beyond the world's standards simply because we are God's children and God empowered us to change our hearts towards God. The way of the world encourages competition in most things. It is good to have a healthy competition but bad to have unhealthy competition. It is good to have more knowledge but it is bad to have more power. Jesus told us we need to have one kind of competition and that is advance in virtue. We are advancing in virtue by showing more love and compassion and mercy to those around us. By doing that people will know that we are God's disciples. Competition for wealth and prestige may not make you a good person but a well known person; advancing in virtue certainly will make you a better person because it is driven by God's love.
Jesus comes to the world to complete God's law by showing God's love to the world, making God's love known to everyone and those who live a life of love their lives will change accordingly. When God's love is not deep rooted in our hearts we are unable to change towards God because the love of mammon tries to lure us, pulling us towards the world, moving further away from God's love. When we look for self gratification we are God's children by names. We may do more harm than good for our faith in Jesus.
When there is less salt in water, salt will be absorbed by water and it is good for nothing. In the same way when our virtues aren't strong enough to resist against the worlds' temptations we will be changed by the world. It will take control of our lives and we will be lost to act as the disciples of Jesus.
The world has its own standard of goodness and expects their members to perform in order to live in peace and harmony and prosperity. We children of God are called to go beyond the world's standards simply because we are God's children and God empowered us to change our hearts towards God. The way of the world encourages competition in most things. It is good to have a healthy competition but bad to have unhealthy competition. It is good to have more knowledge but it is bad to have more power. Jesus told us we need to have one kind of competition and that is advance in virtue. We are advancing in virtue by showing more love and compassion and mercy to those around us. By doing that people will know that we are God's disciples. Competition for wealth and prestige may not make you a good person but a well known person; advancing in virtue certainly will make you a better person because it is driven by God's love.
Jesus comes to the world to complete God's law by showing God's love to the world, making God's love known to everyone and those who live a life of love their lives will change accordingly. When God's love is not deep rooted in our hearts we are unable to change towards God because the love of mammon tries to lure us, pulling us towards the world, moving further away from God's love. When we look for self gratification we are God's children by names. We may do more harm than good for our faith in Jesus.
When there is less salt in water, salt will be absorbed by water and it is good for nothing. In the same way when our virtues aren't strong enough to resist against the worlds' temptations we will be changed by the world. It will take control of our lives and we will be lost to act as the disciples of Jesus.
Written by Fr Vũđình Tường
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia
St Francis Xavier Catholic Parish
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Australia