Sir 15:15–20; 1 Cor 2:6–10; Mat 5:17–37
“Going Beyond the Law with a Faithful Heart”
Many of us here today have lived long lives of faith. From childhood, we learned the commandments. We memorized them. We tried to follow them. For many years, being a “good Catholic” meant knowing what was allowed and what was forbidden, what a sin was and what was not.
And that is not wrong. The Law of God is good. It guides us. It protects us. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus gently tells us: that is not the whole story.
Jesus does not come to abolish the law but to bring it to its fullness. He invites us—especially those who have walked with God for many years—to go beyond rules, beyond fear, and into the wisdom of the heart.
The Scribes and Pharisees believed that if they obeyed every rule perfectly, they would be righteous before God. Outwardly, they looked holy. But Jesus knew that something was missing. He tells us today: It is not enough to look faithful on the outside if the heart is heavy on the inside.
For many people, the struggle is no longer with breaking commandments openly. The deeper struggles are quieter:
- Long-held anger
- Old family wounds
- Resentments that were never healed
- Regrets we still carry
- Words we wish we had never spoken
- Jesus speaks directly to these hidden places of the heart.
Jesus begins with anger. Most of us are no longer physically violent. But anger can live a very long life. It can stay with us for decades. There is the quick anger that flares up and fades. But there is also the slow anger—the kind that settles in, remembers every hurt, and quietly refuses to forgive.
Jesus warns us not because he wants to condemn us, but because he wants to free us. Anger that is carried for years becomes heavy. It steals peace. It even affects our prayer.
Some of us pray faithfully every day and receive Communion also, yet deep inside we may still be carrying bitterness toward a spouse, a sibling, a child, or even toward God himself. Jesus says: Before you come to the altar, be reconciled. Not because God rejects us—but because anger blocks our hearts from receiving his grace.
Jesus then speaks about adultery, but he goes deeper than actions. He speaks about the heart. As we grow older, temptations change, but the heart remains the center of our moral life. Thoughts, memories, regrets, and desires still pass through it. We may not be able to change the past, but we can ask God to heal what still troubles us inside. Nothing is wasted when placed in his mercy.
Finally, Jesus speaks about honesty. At this stage of life, many of us value truth more than ever. We have seen how lies damage families and communities. Jesus invites us to be people whose yes is yes and no is no—people whose lives speak truth even when our voices grow weaker.
In the first reading, the Book of Sirach invites us:
To allow our faith to soften us, not harden us.
To let prayer lead us to reconciliation.
To let worship shape how we treat one another.
As we come to the altar today, Jesus does not ask for perfection. He asks for honest hearts.
If there is someone we still need to forgive, ask God for the grace to begin.
If there is anger we have carried too long, place it gently in his hands.
If our faith has become routine, ask him to renew it with love.
Life and worship belong together.
Today, Jesus invites us to go beyond the law and live in the freedom of his love.
