As we continue with the Sermon on the Mount, we run into further challenges to the fullest keeping of the commandments, rather than just lip service to a minimal observance. Hence, it;s not just "Thou shalt not commit adultery, but not even look at a woman with a heart full of lust. (Mt 5:27-28) Or in order to avoid sin, cut off a hand or tear out an eye.. Hyperbole, of course, as was the Jewish wont, but nevertheless: go to the root and eradicate it. And even with divorce, Jesus only makes one concession..if the "marriage" is unlawful, divorce is possible. Who can live up to these standards? What is Jesus trying to do, kill us? In demanding such high standards, he is really asking us for the total commitment of our hearts to his loving heart. Fridays are dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and indeed, next Friday will be the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,..the acknowledgement of the unbounded burning love Jesus has for us. He is asking us to meet that love with our own, which means going against our natural tendency toward the "easy way out" and to love him without measure, especially when it includes the pain of sacrifice of our wills, of "doing it My Way." The pain we feel in physical therapy after surgery is not something we relish, and, indeed, try to avoid, but the results of pushing ourselves in spite of the pain, leads to the full restoration of mobility. If we find this worthwhile on the physical level, how much more on the spiritual?
Bro .Rene
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