The 6th Sunday of Epiphany, Year A
Scriptures: Psalm 119:1-8; Matthew 5:21-37
Key Verse: “I will thank you with a true heart, when I have learned your righteous judgments. (Psalm 119:7
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Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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Do you still remember the very first rule you learned when you were little? I don’t, but I can easily recall the rule I broke because of the punishment I got. I have a brother who is two years older than me. We got along well but also got into fights easily. I must credit my mom who knew how to make us reconcile fast through punishments.
For example, one punishment was that we each had to read a book very loudly while standing next to each other. Whoever finished reading first was set free. Normally I was the one complaining that my brother read too loud, which distracted me. I remember another punishment. We each had to carry a basin of water and hold it high above our heads. Whoever stayed dry the longest was set free, and whoever got wet needed to complete the second punishment. Most of the time, we worked with each other to finish our punishments fast. The moment we were set free, we played with each other again. It was like nothing ever happened.
However, there was another kind of punishment where we couldn’t really help each other. That’s when we hurt the feelings of others, including our parents, by saying or doing things that were not appropriate. When I was little, my mom would ask me, “How many spanks should you get?” Since I believe seven is a lucky number, I always said, “Seven.” My brother always teased me that I wasn’t smart. Then I learned that I could say a lower number and my mom would still forgive me.
As I grew older, I found myself not as gracious as I hoped I would be. I forgot about the purpose of the punishment. My parents punished me out of love, their love for me and my brother. They never did it to show us how righteous they were or to disgrace us. That was the reason we could reconcile fast.
I wondered since when I had become ungracious. Then I realized that I had biases or prejudices against people that I didn’t know or understand or people that I had never built a relationship with. They are the people that I didn’t take time to accept and love. I wasn’t gracious or merciful. Have I shared God’s love and Good News with them and embraced them? If I haven’t done anything to reconcile with them, who am I to judge them? Besides, God has the final say. I’m still on the path of learning. And I don’t think that I am alone on the path of reconciliation.
Thanks be to God who's got it all figured out. God has taken away the worst punishment, our eternal death, through Jesus’ cross. If we put all our biases and prejudices on the cross, that cross would be very heavy. Jesus carries it for us so that we can live a new life, live well for ourselves and for one another.
In Matthew 5:21-37, Jesus’ interpretations of the laws shed the light of hope on our new lives together. The intention of every law is for us to live our new life well not just for ourselves but for one another. Since we belong to the body of Christ, we belong to each other, don’t we? Since we belong to each other, shouldn’t we be gracious enough to love each life as our own? If we don’t, we are hurting our lives and those of others.
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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