It is 12th February 2017. We are in the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time and a special week of Prayer for the Sick. The readings are from Sirach 15:15-20; the second reading from 1Corinthians 2:6-10; and the Gospel from Matthew 5:17-37. The first reading points out that God never gave anyone permission to sin just because God had given us the freedom to choose and act the way we wish. “God has placed before you fire and water… before each person are life and death…” (Sir.15:16,17). We are not entitled in any way to choose what is contrary to the commandments. We are called to be holy by the Lord in every choice we make in our lives. To be fruitful in spiritual life, we must have faithfulness, dependability, kindness, and moral integrity. The responsorial Psalm praises, “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord.” (Ps.119:1). The second reading reminds us that nothing can go unnoticed by the Spirit of God. “For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.” (1 Cor.2:10). It is the Spirit of God who reveals the wisdom of the Father through Jesus. The Gospel presents us with the interpretation of the Law in the eyes of Jesus, who is the fulfilment of the law. There are divine laws and human laws. Jesus points out the incorrect interpretations and applications of laws. The Pharisees and rabbis were promoting what was suiting for them not the original intentions of the Lord. The moral integrity and consistency between what is said and what is implied is vital for the fruitfulness of the law. For Jesus, holiness is much more than observing a bunch of laws. “I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:20). Are we faithful and truthful to the Lord and the commandments of God more than those who live around us? It is not just a meticulous, legalistic and inhumane applications of the law rather our compassion and understanding must be the reason to be a follower of Christ. Our faithfulness to Christ must never make us to be heartless and hypocritical coupled with fault finding and fixing people. Let us honestly spend times to mend the broken pieces within us before pointing our fingers to the failures of the other. May you have good day.