16 February 2014
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In emphasizing Gospel and First Readings in the Mass, we may have a tendency to overlook the Responsorial Psalms. For today we read: “Blessed are they whose way is blameless who walk in the law of the Lord”. I prefer the Jerusalem Bible translation: “Ah, how happy those of blameless life who walk in the way of the Lord” because for the believer’s happiness is the by-product of his fidelity. And what is fidelity but keeping the law of love of God and love of our brothers and sisters that Jesus gives us in today’s Gospel? We are pilgrims on our way to a defined destination, marching each day in search of greater happiness.
Next: “Open my eyes that I may consider the wonders of your law.” Jesus, who came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, defined himself as the Light. So he is the one who can mark out my path allowing me to see the wonders of being faithful to his Commandment, of finding happiness in his Way.
Then: “Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.” Each hour, each day I need discernment to follow his light, to know how he is leading me. In my prayer I can tell him how I want to respond to his call, to remain faithful to what he has taught in the Sermon on the Mount. I can also ask him to teach me what St. Paul describes in the second reading about God’s “mysterious hidden wisdom” so that my walk will become less blameless and my happiness more real.