The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The readings for this Sunday come from the Lectionary used by the Old Catholic Diocese of the Chesapeake Bay, of which Message from the Margins is a ministry, for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. What follows is a short homiletic reflection meant to help you pray with these texts and carry them into your week, but it’s not a replacement for going to Mass. Think of this as spiritual encouragement, not a hall pass. So get yourself up, gather your family, put on something presentable, and head to your local parish. Be nourished by the Word proclaimed aloud, by the life of your community, and above all by the Body and Blood of Christ. Go not only to receive, but to be present, to encourage others, and to help build up the Church right where you are. And hear this clearly: no matter what human beings or institutions may have said or done in the past, the Master of the house has prepared a place of honor specifically for you.
God bless you, and thank you, as always, for being here.
Fr. Rich
The Readings
FIRST READING
Sirach 15.15-20
A reading from the book of Sirach.
If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. The Lord has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death, and whichever we choose will be given. For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees everything; his eyes are on those who fear him, and he knows every human action. He has not commanded anyone to be wicked, and he has not given anyone permission to sin.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 119.1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 (R.1)
R. Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart. R.
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! R.
Deal bountifully with your servant, so that I may live and observe your word. Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. R.
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. R.
SECOND READING
1 Corinthians 2.6-10
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
My brothers and sisters, among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. As it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
The word of the Lord.
G O S P E L
Matthew 5.17, 20-24, 27-28, 33-34, 37
+A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew.
On the mountain, Jesus gathered his disciples around him and he taught them, saying: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For 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 ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’
But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, Let your word be ‘Yes,’ if ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ if ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
The gospel of the Lord
The Homily
Well, I Guess I’ll See You in Hell 🤷♂️
Let’s name the elephant in the sanctuary, the one taking up about 800 pounds of emotional and spiritual real estate.
Today’s readings sound… impossible.
Sirach lays it out with brutal clarity. You either keep the commandments, or you don’t. Fire or water. Life or death. Red Pill or Blue Pill. Pick one.
The psalm doesn’t soften it at all:
“Happy are those whose way is blameless.”
Blameless?
Not mostly decent. Not trying their best. Not spiritually earnest but flawed.
Blameless. Ufff.
And just when we might be tempted to look for a loophole, Jesus steps in and tightens the screws.
You’ve heard it said, don’t murder. Fine, I can manage that.
But I say, if you’re angry, if you insult, if you reduce another human being to contempt… you’re already in trouble. Oh boy.
You’ve heard it said, don’t commit adultery.
But I say, if you’ve looked with lust, you’ve already crossed the line. Oh. Oh no. There goes every guy, and some women.
You’ve heard it said, keep your oaths.
But I say, let your yes be yes and your no be no, with no games, no spin, no self-justifying nonsense. Alright, looks like everyone’s coming along on this ride.
At this point, if we’re being honest, most of us are thinking the same thing.
Well… I guess I’ll see you in hell.
Because if this is the standard, truly blameless, pure of heart, perfectly reconciled, perfectly ordered in desire and speech and intention, all or nothing… then who exactly is left standing?
Here’s the thing. I refuse to believe that a loving God set an impossible trap and then stood back waiting for us to fail. That’s not justice. That’s cruelty. And it’s certainly not the God revealed in Jesus Christ. And frankly, it wouldn’t even make sense. If we are meant to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and rest in Him forever, but the deck is so stacked against us that failure is nearly guaranteed, why bother creating us at all? God could have stopped the work of creation with dogs and gone about His business.
So what’s actually happening here?
St. Paul gives us the key when he says God’s wisdom is “secret and hidden.” Not secret as in withheld, but secret as in deeper than a surface reading. Hidden beneath our instinct to turn faith into a scorecard.
What Jesus is doing is not raising the bar so that only spiritual Olympians make the cut. He’s leveling the playing field.
By setting the standard so high that no one can meet it, Jesus removes the last excuse for pride.
No more pretending that some are righteous and others are not.
No more spiritual hierarchy where the “good people” look down on the rest.
No more illusions that we can earn our way into God’s favor.
If no one can meet the standard, then everyone stands in the same place. Dependent. In need. Desperate for mercy. Saints and sinners, priests and peasants, all sailing along in the same leaky boat.
And that’s the point.
We are not saved by our perfection. We are saved by our willingness to struggle honestly, to repent without theatrics, to receive forgiveness instead of denying our need for it.
The Church was never meant to be a museum for the blameless. It is a field hospital for people who know they are wounded and are brave enough to show up anyway.
So how do we respond to this mercy?
Jesus makes it painfully simple and endlessly difficult: love.
Love God.
Love the people in front of you.
Love your enemies.
Love the least of these.
That’s it. Not as an abstract idea, but as a daily, concrete choice.
And he gives us tools. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” As we dispense forgiveness, so are we forgiven. “Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs.” In need of mercy? Good news. Be merciful.
I’ll confess something to you. I don’t actually spend much time thinking about heaven or hell. What occupies my heart far more is this question: how can I love today?
Who needs the patience I don’t feel like giving?
Who needs the reconciliation I’d rather avoid?
Who needs compassion when my instinct is judgment?
Love, in my experience, is not a feeling. It’s a verb. It’s work. It’s often inconvenient. And yes, I fall short constantly. Boy, do I.
But I get up each day hoping to love a little better than I did the day before. And I try to be gentle, even when it takes effort, with others who are working on it too.
And here’s the quiet miracle. That love, imperfect and halting as it is, is already a reward. It shapes us. It frees us. It draws us deeper into the heart of God.
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, God has prepared for those who love him.”
Root yourself in love. Not performative love. Not weaponized morality. Just honest, stubborn, grace-dependent love.
And trust that something far more beautiful than fear is waiting for us.
Amen.