A Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 4:00 Saturday Vigil Mass
Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37
Audio Recording
Today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew is certainly challenging, isn’t it? At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, St. Matthew tells us that the crowds were “astonished” at Jesus’ teaching. In the first volume of his trilogy on the life of Christ entitled “Jesus of Nazareth,” Pope Benedict XVI notes that the Greek word used by the evangelist means “shaken” or “troubled.” The crowd was not simply impressed by Jesus’ teaching; they were unsettled. And if we truly hear what He says today, we should be unsettled as well.
“You have heard that it was said… But I say to you.” That phrase repeats like a drumbeat. “You shall not kill… But I say to you, whoever is angry.” “You shall not commit adultery… But I say to you, whoever looks with lust.” Jesus is not lowering the moral standard; He is intensifying it.
It’s sometimes imagined that the Old Testament was rigid and that Jesus made morality easier. In fact, the opposite is true. Jesus moves the law from external behavior into the interior life. It isn’t enough to avoid murder — anger matters. It is not enough to avoid adultery — desire matters. It is not enough to avoid false oaths — integrity of speech matters. Jesus is concerned not only with what we do, but with who we are and who we are becoming.
In the first reading from Sirach we hear, “If you CHOOSE, you can keep the commandments.” God sets before us life and death, fire and water. He respects our freedom. He respects our choices. Yet Jesus reveals that the decisive arena of that freedom is the heart.
Many of us have lived long lives. We’ve learned discipline. We may have avoided serious outward sins. But what about resentment that lingers for years? What about grudges carefully justified? What about harsh words spoken in frustration? What about thoughts we quietly entertain?
As we grow older, it can be tempting to say, “That’s just how I am.” Jesus refuses to let us settle there. The heart can still be purified. Conversion is not reserved for the young; it is the lifelong work of grace.
Jesus says our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. That statement would have stunned His listeners. The Pharisees were serious about holiness. They prayed faithfully, fasted regularly, and structured their entire lives around the law. For ordinary people, they represented the highest standard of religious devotion. Yet Jesus says that even that is insufficient.
Why? Because righteousness is not merely external conformity; it is interior transformation. One can obey the letter of the law while the heart remains divided. Jesus calls His disciples – and He calls us as well – to something deeper: a holiness that springs from within.
There is something even more striking in this Gospel. Notice how Jesus speaks. He does not say, “The Lord says,” or “Moses taught.” He says, “But I say to you.” The Law was given by God on Mount Sinai. Rabbis interpreted it. Prophets defended it. But no one, no one, placed his own authority above it. Yet Jesus does so calmly and decisively. He speaks not merely as a teacher or reformer, but as the Lawgiver Himself. This is why the crowd was troubled. They sensed they were standing before Someone who claimed divine authority. If Jesus speaks with that authority, then He is not simply offering helpful advice. He is revealing the very will of God.
At this point we might feel overwhelmed and convicted. And we should be. Who among us has never harbored anger? Who has never struggled with impure thoughts? Who has never spoken carelessly?
If salvation depended on our own ability to purify our hearts completely, we would have little hope. But this is where St. Paul offers consolation in our second reading today.
He tells us that what God has prepared for those who love Him surpasses human wisdom. And he adds that God has revealed it through the Spirit. The righteousness Jesus demands cannot be achieved by willpower alone. It is the work of grace. The Holy Spirit writes the law on our hearts and slowly conforms us to Christ. The holiness that surpasses the Pharisees is not self-generated perfection; it is Christ living in us.
So what does this mean for us today? It means we must allow the Gospel to examine us honestly. If Jesus never unsettles us, perhaps we have made Him too safe. His words are meant to penetrate beyond appearances. We must ask ourselves not only whether we have avoided serious sin, but whether our hearts are aligned with His heart. Is there someone I still refuse to forgive? Is there bitterness I cling to? Are my thoughts and speech reflective of a disciple of Christ? Christianity is not about doing the minimum required; it is about becoming holy, about allowing grace to transform us from within.
The good news is that the One who raises the standard also gives the strength to meet it. The One who says, “But I say to you,” is the same Lord who gives us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
He doesn’t expose our weaknesses to shame us, but to heal us. He doesn’t trouble us to discourage us, but to awaken us. He searches the heart because He desires to dwell there.
Brothers and sisters, the crowd on that hillside was not merely astonished; they were troubled. They sensed they were encountering Someone who spoke as Lord of the human heart. And so He is.
Let us not domesticate Jesus or reduce Him to a comforting voice who asks little of us. Let us allow His words to challenge us, purify us, and lead us to deeper conversion. And trusting not in our own strength but in the grace of the Holy Spirit, let us ask Him to make our hearts new.
God bless you.