Reflection:  
One of the things that we need to appreciate in life is that we cannot possibly exist without abiding by certain rules and regulations, be it natural or man-made, because such edicts give us the point of reference on how to live. We see this in the gospel reading on this 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time with Jesus saying: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (v.17) and this would probably leave many of us wondering what law He was referring to.
In the Jewish tradition, there are three types of laws, namely: the “ceremonial” law that pertains to Israel’s worship such as those specified in Lev 1:2-3, the “civil” law, e.g. Deut 24:10, 11 (in the case of the ceremonial law many of its principles are still being observed by Israel). The third type was called the “moral” law and under this category come the Ten Commandments which Jews are required to strictly follow and obey (Ex 20:13). The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and still applies today.  Jesus obeyed the moral law completely.

Jesus made clear that the essence of God’s law – his commandments and prescribed way of life — must be obeyed. The law of God is truth, and when we live according to that truth it produces in us, the fruits of righteousness, holiness, peace, and joy. And Jesus’ attitude towards the law of God can be summed up in the great prayer of Psalm 119: “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” 

Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus taught reverence for God’s law – reverence for God himself and, reverence or respect for parents, respect for life, for property, for another person’s good name, respect for oneself and for one’s neighbor.  What Jesus actually did was to condense the numerous laws of the Scribes into two main points – love of God and love of neighbor.  And central to our obedience to God is the need for us to humble ourselves and acknowledge that there is someone greater than ourselves – God. Indeed, it is only when we humble ourselves that the grace of God begins to flow into our lives.  No Christian can live a happy and fulfilled life outside of the grace of God because it is only by His grace that are lifted up, exalted and given the right to become co-heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

As Christian disciples, our primary objective should be to evangelize others so that all may become living witnesses to help transform the world for Christ.  A Community without this mission is moribund and become bogged down because we think of mission in terms of programs and projects that people see.

The primary mission and purpose of the Church – and obviously, a community like ours – is to evangelize (Evangelii Nuntiandi) and tell the world that we have a loving God who created us, the Son of Man who redeemed us from our sinfulness and left us with His Holy Spirit who, in turn, sanctifies our actions that we may deserve to enter into the kingdom of God.  To evangelize is also make the world aware of the many sins that separate us from God and deprive us of His friendship. These are what the Church refers to as mortal sins which, in the ambivalence of modern relativism sometimes becomes difficult to identify.  One thing is certain though.  Mortal sin is a grave sin.  An example of is abortion which can only be brought before a Bishop for absolution.

The so-called venial sins are lighter, but it nevertheless deprives us of that which is good, and if left to grow or develop may gradually lead to mortal sin and eventually, to the loss of sanctifying grace.  Take for example when we gossip about the failings or fault of another. Such remains a venial sin, but when we lodge or make a false accusation against another, it takes on a different character and becomes a mortal sin because it injures the character of another person. This is what happens when we falsely accuse others of wrongdoing without conclusive proof.  In the same way, idolatry, heresy, blasphemy, perjury, serious desecration of Sundays and Holy Days fall under the category of mortal sin because these are a direct affront to the majesty of God.

On the other hand, why risk the judgment of God when we, as Christians, have the ability to resist all occasions of sin through the Holy Spirit whom we have received in Baptism?  The only reason we fall into sin is when we refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives.

Hence, we must learn to recognize – and avoid – the occasions and circumstance that may lead us to sin. By occasions we refer to persons, places, things, to which we may be exposed, voluntarily or not. Obvious common source and occasions of sin, such as pornographic films, videos, magazines, books and other lewd reading materials, and sex dens, drug dens and other such places should be avoided.  We should put into our lips the watchword that has guided the saints in avoiding occasions of sin: “Safety is in flight” which means we must not only stay away from sin but we must run away from the source and occasions of sin.

In His goodness, God also provided us with the means by which we can defend ourselves when we are confronted with sin.  Prayer is the handiest and most effective shield against sin.  When faced with temptation, a quick “Hail Mary” or Our Father, or simply uttering the names of Jesus and Mary would be helpful. As St. John Chrysostom says, “These holy names have an intrinsic power over the devil, and are a terror to hell.”  Prayer is the weapon we can use to ward off the assaults of our spiritual enemy because in prayer we secure the assistance of God and nothing can withstand His might.

There is also another underlying message in today’s gospel.  Jesus is not inviting people who believe themselves to be good enough, and not in need of help.  Jesus has no need for those who think highly of themselves because the first step in following Jesus is to acknowledge our need for a savior and the admission that we don’t have all the answers.

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (v.32) serves as a reminder for us that our aim is to help bring others to repentance, which is the key that will unlock the gates of heaven.  To follow Christ is difficult and at times we will have to make painful decisions like Matthew who had to leave everything behind.  In Redemptoris Missio, Blessed John Paul II stresses that: “Evangelization will always contain
as the foundation, center and, at the same time,
the summit of its dynamism
– a clear proclamation that,
in Jesus Christ salvation is offered to all men,
as a gift of God’s grace and mercy.“
”The new evangelization,” according to John Paul II, “is not a matter of merely passing on doctrine
but rather of a personal and
profound meeting with the Savior.”

This new evangelization should not unnerve our Church and or our Community as what the Pharisees did when Jesus preached old doctrines to the people of his time that sounded like new. The new evangelization to which we all are being asked to participate is all about bringing others – our family, neighbor, relatives, friends, co-workers and the ordinary man on the street that we meet – to a personal and profound meeting with Jesus Christ our Savior.

The new wine (Gifts of the Holy Spirit) that has been poured upon us at our baptism in the Spirit cannot be poured into our old self.  We all must be renewed as we are baptized in the Spirit in order for us to receive the new wine that will be poured out to us.

As renewed Christians, we must not be anxious of going on an adventure especially when we come to think that it is the Spirit of God who is leading us and this is what the Pharisees could not accept. They have become so rigid that new ideas are rejected outright and they sacrificed the joy of knowing God in a more personal way.  This is what we as Christians should avoid because Christianity brings a never-ending process of change with new approaches, new traditions, new methodologies.  Thus, the programs and techniques we use in our Community, ministries and apostolate should not be so structured that we leave no room for the Holy Spirit to move us into finding new things or ideas.

Churches and communities at times have plateaued or have become stagnant, remaining on an “as-is, where-is” condition and could no longer draw new members.  Even if it does, the attrition rate is so high that members leave the moment they got in and the culprit is the tendency of leaders to hang on to their old and outmoded principles.  The International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service (ICCRS) has always held the view that the grace of the renewal is to move out and has espoused the idea that charismatics are supposed to be a people on the move.  As such, we must be careful that we don’t become as rigid as the Pharisees that would prevent us from learning new things from the Gospel of Christ. We need to become pliant so we can always upgrade ourselves to accept the new wine that comes from the new message of Christ for us.

Reflection Questions:
1. Spent a moment to assess your spiritual life.  Are you progressing towards a life according to the God’s commandments,
guided by the teachings of the Church?
2. What is the state of your relationship with others? Do your care and share enough?
Do you bear enough of other people’s weaknesses and limitations?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
February 16, 2014 (Sun)    Sir 15:15-20/Ps 119:1,2,4-5,17-18,33-34/1Cor 2:6-10/
Mt 5:17-37
February 17, 2014 (Mon)    Jas 1-11/Ps 119:67,68,71,72,75,76/Mk 8:11-13
February 18, 2014 (Tues)   Jas 1:12-18/Ps 12,13,14,18,19/Mk 8:14-21
February 19, 2014 (Wed)   Jas 1:19-27/Ps 15:2-3,3-4,5/Mk 8:22-26
February 20, 2014 (Thur)   Jas 2:1-9/Ps 34:2-3,4-5,6-7/Mk 8:27-31
February 21, 2014 (Fri)      Jas 2:14-24,26/Ps 112:1-2,3-4,5-6/Mk 8:34-9:1
February 22, 2014 (Sat)    1Pt 5:1-4/Ps 23:1-3,3-4,5,6/Mt 16:13-19

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

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