Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Sir 15:16-21; 1 Cor 2:6-10; Matt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37,48]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. [Sirach] "You have heard that it was said.....but I say to you..." [Matthew]
A friend of mine has sent me a cartoon showing Moses on the top of the mountain holding the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments and saying to God: "The 'Thou shalt nots' seem a little harsh. How about something like 'Thou probably shouldn't,' or 'Thou might want to think it over first'? The gospel scripture for today comes from the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus goes beyond the commandments to demand even more of us: "You have heard that it was said....but I say to you.." The words from the first scripture for today from the Book of Sirach echo the Book of Deuteronomy, a part of the Law of Moses: "See, I have set before you life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am giving you today....you will live and grow numerous.." Deut. 30:19.
The Sermon on the Mount presents us with a "new law" from Jesus that goes beyond the minimum required by the "old law," the Ten Commandments. Does Jesus sound "harsh" to us? Is he merely suggesting that we follow HIS commandments, which do not abolish the original Ten, but take us beyond the "minimum" to a new "maximum?" Jesus' new law commands us to love our enemies. He also challenges us to examine our motives and not just our external observance when he says in today's gospel, "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount is a catechism of Christian life! Jesus challenges us to live a new life with him. Is he asking too much? Is he merely suggesting what he seems to be commanding? Are we replying like Moses in the cartoon? Adam and Eve had a tough time accepting God's command about the fruit of the forbidden tree. We know the results. Are we any better? We can be! But it won't be easy! Read the Sermon on the Mount! AMEN
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