Joseph’s :: Notices :: Magazine
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Yr A)
Ecclesiasticus 15:16
READINGS: Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20, Psalm 118(119), 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, Matthew 5:17-37
If you’ve ever opened the Bible and started reading from the beginning you may remember that, the first time the earth is mentioned, it is described as ‘a formless wasteland.’ (Genesis 1:2) A place that cannot bear fruit, a place that cannot support life, a place where there is no light. It is out of this formless wasteland that God creates order. We can see that order in the movement of the planets. We can see it in the cycle of life. We can even see it at macro level through powerful microscopes. And that order is beautiful.
As we know only too well, the one thing that doesn’t automatically obey God’s Law is the human heart. And yet the psalms often describe God’s Law as life-giving, as a delight. That isn’t the way we usually think of laws. In the Gospel passage (a little bit more of the Sermon on the Mount) Jesus asks us to look afresh at God’s Law. He gives us three illustrations, and in each case takes us to the root of the problem. He asks us to become aware of the spirit of the law.
‘You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’
‘It was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath ... but I say this to you: do not swear at all. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no.’
Matthew Chapter 5, Verses 21 & 22, 27 & 28, 33, 34, 37
Anger - this is not what the Scriptures call righteous anger, (see John 2:13-22, Jesus cleansing the Temple). There certainly are things we should get angry about: poverty and injustice for example. And our anger must spur us on to do something about these things. The anger Jesus is talking about here though is the kind of anger that consumes us, the kind that destroys relationships. William Blake has as poem about anger. In the first part he talks about being angry with a friend. He tells the friend about his anger, and it goes away. In the second part he talks about being angry with a foe. This time, rather than speaking about his anger, he lets it grow. He ‘waters it’ like a plant. It becomes a tree, a poison tree. The end of the poem sees his foe lying beneath the tree. Of course, the poison tree is within him, and the story doesn’t end there. Much of the time a little time to ‘cool off’ is enough to make us realise that, in fact, we have mis-judged the situation. We must ask for the grace to become more like God: ‘slow to anger, rich in mercy.’
Lust - teenagers sometimes get a bit anxious when they read this, but Jesus is not talking about physical attraction. He is talking about thoughts and desires that, if acted on, would be adultery. Much as these thoughts and desires focus on another person, they are in fact self-centered. They are a block to love, not a way to it.
Oaths - these days, people aren’t as likely to use the Lord’s name in their oaths as they once were. Strangely, we’re more likely to hear someone making an oath on the life of one of their family members! Even more typical though, is that from time to people feel the need to make a promise about something. That doesn’t happen to people who are known for their trustworthiness. And if we are in the habit of saying things we don’t mean, then we are also in the habit of treating others disrespectfully.
These three ‘illustrations’ come from a longer section of Matthew’s Gospel (but not too long!) which runs from verse 17 to verse 48 of chapter 5. In this longer section there are actually six illustrations of the Law. We are given two more of them in next Sunday’s Gospel. In each case we are being asked to live the Law of Love more fully. In each case we see ourselves faced with a choice: death or life, fire or water. Our hearts can be a wasteland or they can be places that bear fruit, places that give life, places filled with light.
Deacon Mark Howe
A Poison Tree by William Blake
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
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