Today we hear from the prophet Ezekiel, and he begins this passage in these words: “Thus says the Lord GOD: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way, that he may live?” (Ezekiel 18:21–23). My brothers and sisters, God doesn't hope that the wicked will persist in their sins, and neither does he take delight in our obstinate heart, in our indifference, in our complacency. But when he sees a truly contrite heart, when he sees that we truly would like to do better, he's already rejoicing.
Now Jesus goes further in today's Gospel because he speaks about heroic virtue. So not just being virtuous, which is already a little bit of a feat in today's society. I remember Alasdair MacIntyre, a Dominican who once wrote a book called After Virtue, which has a dual meaning. The first meaning is that we're seeking virtue, we're after it, we're chasing it because we know how beautiful it is to live it. But the historical sense of the title of the book is that we're living in an age which has run away with virtue, at least the language of virtue. And he says we've transitioned into a society which insists on the language of rights, it's my right, much more self-centered, rather than extending ourselves to others in virtue.
Now our Lord is saying that if our virtue does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Then he gives examples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment… Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna” (Matthew 5:21–22). My brothers and sisters, our Lord wants us to guard our hearts, because it is from the human heart that these sins are born. But we put a shield around our heart like a moat which is built to encompass a castle to keep away the enemy. And the shield we put around our heart is the presence of God that we try to engage on a daily basis, his Spirit, communication with him. And when we communicate with him, it's like he coats our heart with this protective gel from heaven to be able to withstand the onslaughts and the subtleties and the cunningness of the evil one.
Guard our hearts through prayer. The time we spend with him will heal us, will even heal our hearts. You know, we take a lot of medicines, medicines for blood pressure, medicines to control sugar levels in our blood, we take medicine for our hearts. But the greatest medicine for our heart is prayer, is God. My brothers and sisters, let us continue to discipline ourselves. That's why prayer is considered one of the penances of fasting, that we discipline ourselves a little bit more radically in regards to this all important aspect of our relationship with God. And then we will be not only virtuous, but we will be heroically virtuous. We will not only love those who love us, but we will love our enemy. We will pray for those who persecute us, and we will do good to those who hate us. But all of this comes by way of the grace and the power of God's presence stirring within our hearts. May Almighty God continue to bless you through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, who loves us beyond compare, who holds us close to her heart this Friday, as we contemplate the Passion of our Lord, and through his Passion and through his blood. May you be blessed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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