not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change, until all is fulfilled. So then, whoever breaks
the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the
least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to
do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the
Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard, that it was said to our
people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who murders will have to face trial. But now,
I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a
brother or sister is liable, to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or sister “Fool!”
is liable, of being thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and
you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there, in front of the
altar; go at once, and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.
Don’t forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court.
Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in
jail. There, you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said: Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this: anyone who looks at
a woman with lustful intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So, if your right
eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your
body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off
and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body
thrown into hell.

It was also said: Anyone who divorces his wife, must give her a written notice of
divorce. But what I tell you is this: if a man divorces his wife, except in the case of
unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a
divorced woman commits adultery. You have also heard that people were told in
the past: Do not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept. But I tell you
this: do not take oaths. Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God’s throne; nor
by the earth, because it is his foot stool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of
the great king. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single
hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything else
you say comes from the evil one.

READ: Sirach teaches that we may choose the path we will follow. We can choose God’s
way and find life or choose against God and find death. Paul assures us that the rewards
for those who remain faithful will exceed our imaginations. Matthew challenges his listeners
to not only observe the law but to go beyond its requirements in love.

REFLECT: Sometimes we treat God’s commandments and the Church’s laws as a guide to
help us do the bare minimum. We ask exactly how much we can eat on a fast day or how
late we can arrive at Mass and still have it “count.” We want to know exactly how generous
and loving we need to be to make the grade. But Jesus’ preaching puts the lie to that way
of thinking. Instead, he asks us to ask ourselves how much more we can do in love. Our
standard is not the minimum we can do but the best way to share the abundance of God’s
overwhelming, unconditional love.

PRAY: Dear God, help me to love according to your laws, loving generously so that I may
choose life and come to the joys of heaven.

ACT: Be attentive to opportunities to perform acts of loving service that might be outside
your comfort zone.

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