Sunday – 6th Week in Ordinary Time – A

Now, in order for this to be possible, we have to remember that he gives us freedom. So in the first reading we hear, “If you choose, you can keep the commandments. They will save you. If you trust in God, you too shall live. He has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil; whichever he chooses shall be given him” (Sir 15:15–17). Notice the emphasis on choice, to choose, to have the opportunity to decide between right and wrong, to say yes or no, to be able to deal with temptation in a way that is dignified and to do battle against evil — the evil in the world around us, but the evil that's also perhaps born from within us, as Jesus says, “It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of the heart” (Mk 7:15).

And then we read in the Psalm and in the response to the Psalm, “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord” (Ps 119:1). Blessed — again, that word blessed can also be exchanged with the word happy. Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord. So we have a choice: when we choose what is right, when we choose what is good, and when we do what is right and when we do what is good, we end up feeling happy, proud of ourselves that we did something that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, and that always comes accompanied by his grace and mercy.

And so Saint Paul also touches on this when he appreciates what God has already done within so many of us, so as to be able to share with one another the good news, the beauty of the truth of God's goodness and everything he has done. But it is a wisdom that is unknown to those who are worldly minded, those who have chosen to never search for God, to continue to attach themselves to material goods, to strive for things only of this world, forgetting that there's so much beyond this world. And so Saint Paul says to the Corinthians, “We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor a wisdom of the rulers of this age who are passing away. Rather, we speak God's wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for if they knew it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:6–8).

And then, my brothers and sisters, that same Lord of glory speaks to us in today's Gospel about how important it is to choose what is right, to choose to obey the guidance of God, the commandments. And he says to us he hasn't come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them (Mt 5:17). And then he says, “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:19). And then this piercing line: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20).

Now what is our Lord indicating here when he mentions the scribes and the Pharisees? He's indicating that exterior kind of faith which is very superficial — an advertised holiness on the outside, but on the inside a lot of malicious thoughts, a lot of lust that is born in the human eye and the heart, a lot of anger. And if that is the case, if we are operating only on a superficial level, heaven is going to be a nightmare for us.

So one might ask: why has God given us freedom if it might lead us to hell instead of to heaven? And the answer to that is that so love might be possible — because love that is coerced is not love, love that is programmed is not love, love that has no alternative is not love. God does not want slaves in heaven. He wants sons and daughters, and sons and daughters must be able to choose.

So freedom is not given to us so that we can do whatever we want. Freedom is given to us so that we can become the kind of people who are capable of communion. Because we really need to ask: what is heaven really? We all want to get there. We all want to go there. But what is it? Heaven is a network of perfected relationships — relationship with God, relationship with the angels, relationship with the saints, relationship with one another. It is perfect communion.

And this raises a very serious implication, because not every kind of person can live in communion. A proud person cannot live in communion. A resentful person cannot live in communion. A selfish person cannot live in communion. A person who refuses to forgive cannot live in communion — because heaven is not simply about being admitted somewhere; it is about being able to live there.

So our Lord says that if our righteousness does not exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter (Mt 5:20). We will not be capable of living the life of heaven.

To put it differently, if we are future citizens of heaven, what sort of people ought we be right now?

Now, my brothers and sisters, think about it. Every country in the world understands this very well. When someone applies for citizenship, there are interviews, background checks, language tests, civic knowledge exams. Why? Because a country wants to know: will this person contribute to the common good? Will this person respect the laws? Will this person be able to live peacefully with others? In other words, can this person live here?

So, my brothers and sisters, with that in mind, our entrance exam for heaven is not how intelligent we were, how wealthy we were, how successful we were, how admired we were, but the entrance exam is this: have I become a person capable of love? Have I learned humility instead of pride, forgiveness instead of resentment, generosity instead of selfishness, mercy instead of vengeance, communion instead of isolation?

And if I have not yet become capable of all these things, this is my life's work. This is how I work out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.