The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to bring salvation to humanity: And you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:27). Jesus saves His people from the power of Satan, from sin and its ultimate consequence, death. In Jesus’ ministry of healing and expelling unclean spirits, He would forgive sins and reconcile the sinner to the Father. His death on the cross is the salvific sacrifice, a ransom for man’s sins, brought reconciliation and peace with the Father.

The theme of the readings today is the commandment to “love our enemies” - a demand that contradicts the secular wisdom of the world and appears extremely difficult to fulfill. Indeed, without help from God, it would be hard; we need faith to embrace this commandment. To many, it is easier to tolerate or disregard one’s enemies than to maintain a relationship with them. How do we love our enemies? What Jesus wants to teach us here demands not our strength and goodness but the love and holiness of GOD. Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, Am Holy. When God says: You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart, He is giving us a guideline on how to pursue holiness when the emotion of anger comes up. 

Mt 5:17-37
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to calm the fears of the religious leaders that He is out to abolish the laws. But He reminds them that the LAW must not remain engraved in stone tablets but must live in the hearts of men. The LAW must be observed not only according to the intent of the letter; but by its SPIRIT. The demands to live by the SPIRIT as to simply imposing the letter of the LAW takes higher importance. Because the former requires an honest, selfless, and patient pursuit of the truths of God in prayer, asking the help of the Holy Spirit for inner freedom, creativity, and intelligence.

Mt 5:13-16

Coming from the Season of Christmas, we celebrated the coming of the glorious LIGHT in the world of darkness, Jesus CHRIST. Jesus came to enlighten us, enliven us with His Spirit, to lead us by His light to the fullness of life in the Father.