Happy Friday Everybody,
On this last Little Triduum before Lent let’s look at the invitation God gives us to freely cooperate with his will, that we and the people he’s brought into our lives might enter as fully as possible into eternity. Here is the upcoming Sunday Gospel to read in the Light of the Grave:
This Sunday's Gospel is Matthew 5:17-37 (from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible)
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
“It was also said, ‘whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the Evil One.”
As important and integral as our physical bodies are to who we are, they are subject to the corruption of this passing world. Our bodies have no choice. They will get injured, old and decay and only God can ultimately restore them.
When it comes to the mystical body that we form in communion with one another, individual members -- ourselves and the people we are tasked with loving -- can be permanently lost; it is up to us whether we, or they, are. During Lent we’ll intentionally tame our personal actions and appetites (hopefully not needing anything as drastic as amputation – I’ve toyed with it and cannot recommend!) so that we can feast together with unbridled holiness in Heaven.