Walking with Jesus: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time A

For Sunday, February 15, 2026

Sirach 15:15-20, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, Matthew 5:17-37


We grew up, hopefully, in a loving family. Our loved ones taught us, formed us, cared for us, watched over us and directed our words and actions to care for family, loved ones and those who were hurting. We learned the familial laws: Be kind to your siblings, don’t use bad words, respect your elders, family values are super important. These laws complemented the universal standards: Keep your elbows off the table, no phone calls during dinner (my sisters reacted to this one), chew your food, eat everything mom prepared. Everyone had household duties to perform: Clean up after dinner, mow the lawn, keep your room neat, respect the neighbors, complete your school assignments — and so on. If we grumbled or objected, well … we learned not to grumble or object. At one point I thought it would be easier to live with my friend who had eight siblings — until I stayed at his house one night and it was like a “concentration camp.” That night I came to like my own home better.

Our readings today continue with Scripture’s interpretation of God’s rules — rules we sometimes object to when they seem to inhibit our freedom. It’s all about love. Am I loving?

We have lived many life lessons down through the years. Do we take time to reflect on them? We should. When we are alone we make choices ... and we bear responsibility for the choices we make. This is no less true for the life of faith than any other aspect of living. Jesus continues to instruct the disciples in the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The readings today focus our attention on the nature of true wisdom — the best starting point for all of our reflections. Why? Because it is true wisdom that prompts us to choose the right course of action. It is also true wisdom that directs our interpretation of law — God’s law especially, then human law. Its rule opens a world we could never imagine without it and clarifies so importantly the makeup and desirability of heaven. Sirach urges us to pursue true wisdom, and in the Gospel Jesus gives a demonstration of it. Paul talks about “hidden wisdom” — time is divided into this “age of waiting” and a future time when all things will be made known.

Sirach gives us a collection of proverbial teachings culminating in instruction on retribution. He maintains that wise or righteous living will result in happiness or blessing, while foolish or depraved living will meet with misfortune or punishment. The ancients believed that certain actions contained the very seeds of their consequences — that life was fashioned in an ordered way (Genesis) that directs and guarantees the consequences of our behaviors: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live.” Sirach concludes: “No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does He give license to sin.” [Sirach 15:15,20] We are tempted consistently to do what we want. Is it all about me? Where is God in this syllogism?

Paul takes a different direction. Instead of focusing on standard, human models for measuring wisdom, he describes the paradox of divine wisdom: that divine wisdom often runs counterintuitive to human wisdom. He looks at the “ancients” who considered the gods to be powerful, not weak; wise, not foolish. Paul’s main argument is that of Christ crucified — the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that heaven is for all people, if we believe and live love. How am I doing today?

Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies of old, especially in that Jesus “spoke with authority.” [Matthew 7:29] He spoke with a sincere and deep understanding not only of God and God's law, but also of the human condition. “You have heard that it was said ... but I say to you. …” [Matthew 7: 21,27,31,33] In our perusal of the Gospel we can see how Jesus was attuned to the struggles that people faced — and still face today. How often we have said, “God just doesn’t know what it’s like today.” Well, Matthew describes Jesus as very much in tune with the world then and now, and He repeats regularly that God is very much concerned with the human experience and everyday matters. The problem comes when we are filled with the “poor me’s” and we “can’t see beyond our own noses.” Matthew explains that Jesus excelled in shifting emphasis from the external rules of the Ten Commandments to our inward motives. To Jesus, morality does not consist simply of the avoidance of evil acts but in the positive, internal desire for good. This morality is even more demanding than that of the Old Testament: “I have come not to abolish (the moral law) but to fulfill.” [Matthew 5:17] 

So I reflect on:

• Jesus describes human interactions that are still true and commands me to act accordingly. He asks me to minimize my own failures. Am I proclaiming integrity, fidelity and mercy in my life?

Sacred Space 2026 states:

“The Jewish law outlined various suggestions and rules that might help us to live as God intended. Jesus, when He touched on this area, put out a more radical set of guidelines to keep us on the straight and narrow. The bar was set high, and some of those who came to listen to Jesus decided the renewed directives were not for them. Help us to keep to the road map in our own lives and to help and encourage others to do the same."