First Reading

A reading from the Book of Sirach (15:15-20)

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. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; He is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God are on those who fear Him; He understands man's every deed. No one does He command to act unjustly, to none does He give license to sin.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34)

(R) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who observe His decrees, who seek Him with all their heart. (R)

You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping your statutes! (R)

Be good to your servant, that I may live and keep your words. Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law. (R)

Instruct me, O Lord, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them. Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (2:6-10)

Brothers and sisters: We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor 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, it they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him, this, God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (5:17-37)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, 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. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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; and whoever says to his brother, "fool", will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, "You renegade", will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

It was also said, "Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce." But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, "Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow." But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the Earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your "Yes" mean "Yes", and your "No" mean "No". Anything more is from the evil one."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Once a man got lost in the desert. His food and water had run out, and he was desperately searching for water. He knew that if he did not find water soon, he would surely die. Just then, he saw a hut far away. At first, he couldn't believe his eyes. He thought it was a hallucination, but he had no other choice but to believe. After all, this was his last hope. He gathered his remaining strength and started walking toward the hut. When he finally reached the hut, he found that it was real but had been abandoned for a long time. Yet, he went inside, hoping to find water. Upon entering he couldn't believe his eyes.

There was a hand pump. Filled with new energy, he began working on the pump, but no water came out. He kept pulling the lever and still no water. He fell to the ground, exhausted and disappointed. He strongly felt that he was going to die soon. Just then, he noticed a bottle filled with water tied to the ceiling of the hut. Somehow, he managed to get it. But when he was about to open the bottle, he saw a note at the bottom of the bottle which said: "Use this water to start the pump. And don't forget to refill the bottle for the next person."

This note confused him. Many thoughts were running through his mind. He asked himself, "Should I drink the water and save myself? Or should I pour it into the pump to get more water. What if the pump doesn't work even after I poured the water? What if the note is wrong, and even the groundwater had long dried up? But what if the pump really works and gives me plenty of water?" and so on. He was in a dilemma. Finally, he decided to trust the note. He closed his eyes and said a prayer and then with trembling hands, poured the water into the pump and started working on it. After a few tries, he heard a gurgling sound and then water came gushing out, more than he could possibly use! He drank his fill.

Having refreshed himself, he filled his own water bottles and refilled the bottle, tied it back to the ceiling. While doing this, he noticed another bottle containing a pencil and a map showing the way out of the desert. Looking at the map, he realized that he was still far away from the nearest village but at least for now he was overjoyed to know where he was and which direction to go. At the same time, before leaving the hut, he added his own note at the bottom of the water bottle, "Believe me, this pump works."

This story teaches us about the importance of the choices and decisions we make in our lives. Every choice and decision we make, big or small, impacts our lives and the lives of those around us. It affects our health, identity, relationships, work, happiness and peace. There are many reasons for our choices and decisions. Some are driven by external factors, such as approval, acceptance, recognition, success, time, money, and wealth. Others are influenced by internal factors like emotions, beliefs and values.

When we look back at our past choices and decisions, we may have mixed feelings. We may be pleased with some and disappointed with others. We may repeat some and abandon others. As we age, we gain greater awareness of our choices and decisions, and their consequences, not only for ourselves but also for others. However, despite having the opportunity and the capacity to choose and decide, we often do not act due to fear of consequences and a lack of faith in potential outcomes.

Today's reading from the Book of Sirach (15:15-20) teaches us that God has given us free will to choose between fire and water, good and evil, or life and death. God does not force obedience, nor He is responsible for human wickedness or suffering as He does not compel or give anyone license to sin. Instead, He sets before us commandments, trusting us to choose, and He gives us whichever we choose. The story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis 3 exemplifies that God grants us the freedom to choose to obey Him or to turn away from Him. God had commanded them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, warning that doing so would result in death.

Contrary to God's command, the serpent first cast doubt on God's word by asking, "Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" and then directly denied the consequence of disobedience by saying that they would not die but instead would gain wisdom and become like God, knowing good and evil. Eventually when they disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, they brought upon themselves the consequences of sin, including loss of innocence, knowledge of good and evil, guilt, shame, banishment from the Garden of Eden, separation from God and ultimately death.

The reading also emphasizes that God possesses immense wisdom, power, and absolute knowledge of all human actions. He observes, watches, and understands every human deed and need, with eyes specifically on those who fear Him. In short, the reading reminds us that each human being is called to live a life of faithfulness to God, a life that leads to rich and happy living. At the same time, each one is also free to choose ways of living that lead to chaos, broken relationships and death.

In today's gospel, Matthew (5:21-37), Jesus deepens the wisdom of choosing life over death, by focusing on our intentions, thoughts, and attitudes rather than just outward actions, equating anger with murder, lustful intent with adultery and warning us that our inner choices ultimately dictate our relational, spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being, directly impacting our peace and joy in life. In other words, choosing life begins with cultivating inner desire by looking inwardly at what truly makes us alive, happy, joyful, and peaceful. So, Jesus urges deeper, inner reflection during decision-making to align our lives with God's will rather than self-centred desires, ensuring all our thoughts, words and actions honour God, nurture faith, and reflect His character and love to others.

Despite our best intentions and efforts to choose life instead of death, however, we are faced with disappointing results, negative consequences, and emotional pain of setbacks, which are often caused by external uncontrollable factors, personal mistakes, or emotional triggers like stress, anxiety, lack of confidence and fear. Yet, today, our Lord Jesus encourages us to choose life by trusting in His promises, embracing our struggle with self-compassion, viewing setbacks as learning opportunities, focusing on faith over fear, finding strength through obstacles, and making our life journey purposeful and meaningful.

Therefore, as believers in Christ, let us actively continue to choose to follow and obey Jesus over worldly norms and ways, seeking God's path of blessing, obedience, and spiritual vitality over destruction and spiritual death, even when it is difficult and the path is unclear, Deuteronomy (30:19). Remember that God's purpose always prevails, Psalm (19:21).

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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