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Opihi Catholic Parish of St Mary MacKillop, Temuka (2026)

15/06/2026

Tuesday.

A reading from the First Book of Kings 21:17-29

After the death of Naboth, the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”
Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’ He answered, ‘I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel the Lord also said, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.” Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.’ There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.
And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:43-48

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Love Calls Us to Communion:

Love calls us to union and union calls us to communion. Why is this communion so often broken?
I had the opportunity to visit many Gothic churches in Paris, Rheims, Chartres, and Cologne. Everywhere I was told, “This building is slowly deteriorating and will have to be repaired, holes filled in, and stones replaced.” The pollution in the atmosphere attacks even stone! Communion can be destroyed in the same way.

The atmosphere of communion is polluted when I egotistically seek my own interests and not those of my brothers and sisters, and those of the Lord; when I oblige others to follow my will and not God’s: when I take back what I already offered with generosity; when I judge my brothers and sisters unjustly; and when I lock them into their deficiencies.

Lord Jesus, we are in communion when you are among us, because you bring your life into ours. When we go away from you, we also abandon our brothers and sisters, and communion is broken. If I substitute your presence, Lord, with selfishness, prejudice, self-love, jealousy, I put love to death and communion is broken.
The only true communion is in you, Lord.

Venerable Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân († 2002) was imprisoned by the Vietnamese government for thirteen years, during which time he secretly sent prayers and spiritual writings to his flock.

14/06/2026

A relic of St. Carlo Acutis will be in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Timaru on Saturday from 9.30-10.45, followed by morning tea in the Parish Centre.
Mass will begin at 9.30 after which there will be time of reflection in the Basilica.
Everyone in the community is welcome to attend.

14/06/2026

Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time.

Union with Jesus offers us a radically new way of dealing with the evil and injustice in our life. Instead of seeking legitimate recompense, we can now turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and “do not resist the one who is evil”. As Christians touched by God’s mercy, we know that we have been shown such extraordinary generosity and patience by God himself. Like Naboth, who refused to give up his ancestral heritage and so was falsely accused of cursing God and the king, when we suffer injustice, we can be confident God will “attend to the sound of [our] cry”.

A reading from the First Book of Kings 21:1-16

At that time: Naboth theJezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.
But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:38-42

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you: Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Old Law:

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is giving the new Torah (Teaching) of the Messiah. So far, he has brought four laws from the Torah of Moses to their fulfillment and perfection. Today, we hear about a fifth law, and tomorrow we will hear about a sixth law. The old Torah forbade murder; the new Torah demands reconciliation. The old Torah forbade adultery, the new Torah demands chastity in thought and action. The old Torah permitted divorce; the new Torah demands life-long fidelity in marriage. The old Torah forbade swearing false oaths; the new Torah demands truthfulness in all speech. The old Torah limited retaliation and excessive retribution; the new Torah demands mercy and generosity. The old Torah set up social and cultural barriers as protection; the new Torah demands love of the other and our enemies.

Law of the Talion:

The “Law of the Talion” or “Law of Retaliation” is found several times in the Torah. In Exodus 21:23-25, we read: “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” In Leviticus 24:20, we read: “fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.” And Deuteronomy 19:21, Moses commands: “Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” The Law of the Talion or Retaliation demands justice and sets a limit to any and all retaliation. This was the original intention of the law in Exodus. “The law of retaliation requires that a punishment fit the crime in strict proportion. It is not an invitation to exact personal revenge; rather, it imposes a limitation on vengeance to ensure that retribution does not exceed the initial injury in severity” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 152-153).

Justice is Founded on Mercy:

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not do away with justice, but he does temper the principle of strict equivalence with a call for mercy. As St. Thomas Aquinas argues, “The work of divine justice always presupposes the work of mercy and is founded on it” (Summa theologiae, I, q. 21, a. 4). Mercy can bring sin to a halt not because it condones or is indifferent to sin but because it leads to forgiveness and reconciliation. Instead of trying to build mercy upon justice, we need to build justice upon merciful love. In more practical terms, this means that instead of trying first to be just and occasionally dispensing mercy to those we think deserve it or a second chance, we need to have hearts full of merciful love that seek justice and righteousness. Instead of debating whether or not to forgive the brother or sister who has offended me, I need to be ready always to forgive, hoping that this will move and soften their heart and be a step towards reconciliation and true justice. “Instead of retaliation, [Jesus] advocates a readiness to forgive others for their offenses (Matthew 5:38-42). One should note, however, that Jesus’ teaching on this point establishes a norm for personal conduct: he does not dispense with the need for societies to maintain standards of proportionate justice for the public good” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 153).

13/06/2026

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Lord says to Moses: “You yourselves have seen…how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” Today, “when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them.” The Lord was moved with pity because he wanted each person in that crowd to respond to his love. So Jesus summons the Twelve to be the labourers for the harvest. They are to proclaim: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Speaking on behalf of the Lord, their words mean, “you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples”. Or, as Saint Paul expresses it after the Resurrection, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

A reading from the Book of Exodus
19:2-6

In those days: The people of Israel came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’”

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 9:36–10:8

At that time: When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”
And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand:

In the Gospel, we read about the compassion of Jesus, the choosing of the Twelve, and the beginning of Jesus’ Missionary Sermon. Jesus has just worked ten mighty deeds (Matthew 8-9), and he wants his disciples – in particular, the Twelve – to continue this ministry of healing, preaching, forgiveness, and exorcisms. Jesus responds to the needs of the crowds by providing them with shepherds. Jesus appoints twelve pastors, who represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and grants them the status of priests. The number twelve also recalls the governing ministers that King Solomon appointed over all Israel (1 Kings 4:17-18). Here, “Jesus appoints twelve new ‘officers’ and sends them out to the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel’ to declare ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ which could be translated, ‘the kingdom has arrived.’ The Apostles are the royal officers proclaiming the restoration of the kingdom of David, which is the kingdom of God (see 1 Chronicles 28:5; 2 Chronicles 13:8)” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year A, 282).

Royal Priesthood:

In the First Reading, God is offering to the people of Israel a restoration to the privileges of Adam, who was both king and priest. Adam was given dominion over the earth as a kind of viceroy. And just as the priests were commissioned to work in and guard the tabernacle and Temple (see Numbers 3:7), so also Adam was commissioned to work and guard the garden-sanctuary of Eden. “Adam lost his royalty and priesthood by rebelling against God in Genesis 3, but Israel gathered at Sinai is now offered a chance to regain the Adamic privileges. If they keep God’s covenant, they will be a new ‘humanity’ (one of the meanings of the word ‘Adam’) and be restored to humanity’s original vocation as a corporate king and priest” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year A, 278-279). Israel, however, was not faithful to this covenant. They did not respond to their royal and priestly vocation to be a light to the Gentile nations. Instead, they worshipped the Golden Calf (Exodus). In Christ and through Baptism, however, we are once again offered a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).

Death through Adam; Life through Christ:

The Second Reading is taken from Paul’s Letter to the Romans. We will read from this letter every Sunday for the next 15 weeks or so. It is Paul’s most important letter and concerns topics like justification, salvation, faith and works, sin, the relationship between the Old and New Covenants, our incorporation into Christ, the grace of divine sonship, and the mystery of Israel and the Gentiles becoming one family of faith in Christ (see A Catholic Guide to the New Testament, 200). In the first couple of chapters in his letter, Paul has established that both Jews and Gentiles need to be saved. All have sinned (Romans 3:23), and our only hope is in Christ, who comes as an “expiation” by his blood. “Thus, Paul proclaims that Christ is the true sin offering, reconciling us to God. Both Christ’s atoning death and his Resurrection are essential. As the Catechism notes, these are the two sides of the Paschal Mystery: ‘By his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to new life’ (CCC 654)” (A Catholic Guide to the New Testament, 204). Today, we read from Romans 5, in which Paul compares Adam and Jesus. All die in Adam but find life in Christ. God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. We are now justified by Christ’s blood, reconciled to God through Christ’s death, and saved by Christ’s life.

13/06/2026

A simple sunset on way to Mass at Pleasant Point this evening with low ground fog just starting to make its presence known.

12/06/2026

Saturday.

The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“The mysterium of the Heart of Jesus is projected onto and reverberates in the Heart of his Mother, who is also one of his followers and a disciple…. The memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a celebration of the complex visceral relationship of Mary with her Son’s work of salvation: from the Incarnation, to his Death and Resurrection, to the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 174).

A reading from the First Book of Kings 19:19-21

In those days: Elijah departed from the mountain and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 2:41-51

The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Glory of Mary’s Purity:

Purity implies that one is living in the joyful consciousness that God sees us. It is living in front of him, rejoicing that he sees us, and grateful that he sees every single thought that we have, every single wish that arises in our hearts, and every single difficulty that we have in our ascent up the holy mountain….

To speak adequately about Mary’s purity, we would need the tongues of angels. All we can do is stammer a few words while adoring the divine mystery incarnated in her. One can speak of two steps in Mary’s purity. The first was her Immaculate Conception: she alone, after Adam’s fall, was not tainted by original sin. She alone remained faithful to the graces received and kept growing in holiness.

Then came the hour of the Annunciation, the earthshaking moment in history—yet unknown to the world—which the angels watched in silent adoration: the young virgin was asked to become the Mother of the Redeemer. Mary’s purity is manifested in the very first words that we are blessed to hear from her mouth: How can this be, since I do not know man?…

When promised by Gabriel that motherhood would not deprive her of the precious jewel of her virginity, she spoke the blessed words: I am the handmaid of the Lord. Her Yes sealed her purity with a divine seal. Once again, human words fail even to hint adequately at the mystery that took place. When, in silent contemplation, one adores the mystery of the Incarnation, one faintly realises what Mary’s purity must have been like when inhabited by God himself, he whose splendour is such that the angels cover their faces with their wings while singing Sanctus. This closeness to God, this awareness that he is there, gives the believer a peace and a joy that the world does not know.

Alice von Hildebrand († 2022), a philosopher and theologian, was the wife of the philosopher and theologian Dietrich von Hildebrand.

11/06/2026

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“The term ‘Sacred Heart of Jesus’ denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person…. Devotion to the Sacred Heart…calls for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, of love and gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to Christ and his saving work” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 166, 172). “The essential nucleus of Christianity is expressed in the Heart of Jesus; in Christ the whole of the revolutionary newness of the Gospel was revealed and given to us: the Love that saves us and already makes us live in God’s eternity. Even our shortcomings, our limitations, and our weaknesses must lead us back to the Heart of Jesus. His divine Heart calls to our hearts, inviting us to come out of ourselves, to abandon our human certainties to trust in him and, following his example, to make of ourselves a gift of love without reserve” (Pope Benedict XVI).

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy 7:6-11

Moses spoke to the people: “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.”

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the First Letter of Saint John 4:7-16

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Infinite in the Finite:

The eternal Son of God, in his utter transcendence, chose to love each of us with a human heart. His human emotions became the sacrament of that infinite and endless love. His heart, then, is not merely a symbol for some disembodied spiritual truth. In gazing upon the Lord’s heart, we contemplate a physical reality, his human flesh, which enables him to possess genuine human emotions and feelings, like ourselves, albeit fully transformed by his divine love. Our devotion must ascend to the infinite love of the Person of the Son of God, yet we need to keep in mind that his divine love is inseparable from his human love. The image of his heart of flesh helps us to do precisely this….

The image of the Lord’s heart speaks to us in fact of a threefold love. First, we contemplate his infinite divine love. Then our thoughts turn to the spiritual dimension of his humanity, in which the heart is “the symbol of that most ardent love which, infused into his soul, enriches his human will”. Finally, “it is a symbol also of his sensible love”.

These three loves are not separate, parallel, or disconnected, but together act and find expression in a constant and vital unity. For “by faith, through which we believe that the human and divine nature were united in the Person of Christ, we can see the closest bonds between the tender love of the physical heart of Jesus and the twofold spiritual love, namely human and divine.”…

When we plunge into the depths of his heart, we find ourselves overwhelmed by the immense glory of his infinite love as the eternal Son, which we can no longer separate from his human love. It is precisely in his human love, and not apart from it, that we encounter his divine love: we discover “the infinite in the finite.”

His Holiness Pope Francis († 2025) was Pope from 2013 to 2025.

10/06/2026

Thursday.

Saint Barnabas.

Barnabas, the “son of encouragement”, was the first man fully to appreciate the change wrought in Paul, inviting Paul to accompany him to Antioch. Thus began the great mission to the Gentiles. Together Paul and Barnabas preached to the people there and elsewhere in Asia Minor. John Mark joined them, but left halfway through the mission. After the Council of Jerusalem, Paul refused to preach alongside Barnabas over the issue of circumcision and the behaviour of John Mark. Barnabas is considered the patron saint of quarrels for the way he resolved the dispute with Paul, taking John Mark under his wing. He died sometime before the year 63, probably at Salamis in Cyprus.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 11:21b-26; 13:1-3

I n those days: A great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

The word of the Lord.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 5:20-26

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgement. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will 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 to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms 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 until you have paid the last penny.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Torah of the Messiah and True Righteousness:

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has just announced the principle that guides the New Covenant Torah. He has not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to bring them to fulfillment and perfection. Jesus takes up six topics, sometimes called “antitheses,” because Jesus contrasts something found in the Old Covenant Torah, such as divorce, with his New Covenant teaching, such as fidelity in marriage. He calls attention to the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, who prided themselves on a meticulous observance of the Law of Moses and their traditions. But Jesus teaches that this type of righteousness is insufficient. It does not bring about entry into the Kingdom of Heaven that he is bringing and inaugurating on earth. True righteousness or justification is a primarily a gift from God. We need to welcome it and be empowered by it. Only with God’s grace can we live the New Covenant Torah faithfully and in such a way that it brings us into the Kingdom.

New Covenant Reconciliation:

In the moral life, we can be tempted to reduce our efforts to not breaking the Ten Commandments. But we would be mistaken to think: “You will go to heaven, just as long as you don’t kill anyone.” Jesus points to other things, like anger or name-calling, that we need to address. And Jesus is aware that such things will happen in our daily lives. We get frustrated with others, judge them, gossip about them, get impatient with them, and say horrible things about them. What Jesus teaches is that, on the one hand, we need to work with God’s grace to grow in virtues like patience, humility, gentleness, and meekness. These are all hinted at in the beatitudes, which open the Sermon. On the other hand, when we offend someone, we need to seek to be reconciled with them. This is one of the pillars of the New Covenant Torah of the Messiah. It is not enough to go through life without committing murder. The Christian life is so much more, and God empowers us with his divine life to live, love, and forgive as he does and as his Son does.

The Body of Christ:

When we present ourselves before God, we do so as people redeemed in Christ. We form part of the Body of Christ and are bound with others in love. Having something against our brothers or sisters wounds this unity and charity. Calling them “fools” goes against the peace and joy that Christ brings. Our righteousness or holiness does not consist primarily in fulfilling detailed external rites. The Pharisees were confused on this point. Our righteousness and holiness are found in union with Christ. This union with Christ and the communion we share with others in Christ is a gift that we need to accept and protect. That is why Christ tells each one of us today: “Go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Image: Detail from San Barnaba Altarpiece. Sandro Botticelli, c. 1490.

Opihi Catholic Parish of St Mary MacKillop

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