Where Christ Dwells, the Law Becomes Love Sir 15:15–20; 1 Cor 2:6–10; Mt 5:17–37 (A 6)

 

Where Christ Dwells, the Law Becomes Love

 

Sir 15:15–20; 1 Cor 2:6–10; Mt 5:17–37 (A 6)

God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Alleluia.

 

Matthew continues the Sermon on the Mount with a three-part instruction by Jesus on the Way of Life in the kingdom of heaven. Today’s reading presents three parts. The first part deals with the Torah. Part two deals with worship and religious practices and contains the Lord’s Prayer; part three deals with trusting God and deeds of loving service to neighbor. Jesus uses words that strike at the very heart of Christian discipleship: “I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17). He affirms that God’s commandments are not cancelled, but fulfilled in him.

 

Jesus commands not to kill, not to commit adultery, and not to swear falsely. He goes beyond the action to the intention. He says that anger insults, and contempt wounds life. Lustful looks betray the covenant of love: careless words and oaths fracture truth. Jesus is not making life harder. He is revealing the truth. Sin begins in the heart before it appears in behavior. Jesus does not forbid anger in every form, but it leads to contempt and destruction of communion. He calls his disciples to a higher standard, not because they are stronger, but because they are called to be holy.  Jesus takes well-known commandments and leads us deeper. He shows that sin does not begin in the hand, but in the heart; not in the act, but in the intention. St John Chrysostom explains that Christ “leads the commandment beyond the letter and brings it to the soul itself.” In the same way, murder begins with anger; adultery begins with a look that reduces the other to an object; falsehood begins with a divided heart.

 

This demanding teaching is a healing. Jesus is not accusing. He is diagnosing the human heart. Reconciliation becomes a moral obligation. Before worship and prayer, the disciple must seek peace. This is a radical ethical demand even today, in a world marked by resentment, division, and unresolved conflict. In matters of purity, Jesus challenges a culture that objectifies the human person. The Church, following this Gospel, teaches that chastity is not repression but reverence for the other’s dignity. Where Christ dwells, the law becomes love, and love becomes freedom. As we come to the altar, let us ask for hearts purified, relationships healed, and lives marked by truth. Then the law will no longer stand over us—but live within us.

 

This Gospel invites us to examine our inner world. Jesus is not condemning us; He is calling us deeper. He desires hearts that are undivided, healed, and free. As we receive the Eucharist, we receive the One who lived this Gospel completely. May he reshape our hearts, purify our intentions, and make our lives a living witness to the Kingdom of God.

 

 

“For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere”.