Ecclesiasticus 15:15-20 / 1 Cor 2:6-10 / Matthew 5:17-37
When we were baptized, we are officially called a Christian.
To be a Christian is not just a term for a religious status, or for belonging to a particular religion.
To be a Christian means that we are committed to a relationship with Jesus. And this relationship it's not an ordinary relationship with an ordinary person.
This relationship is between the Creator and the created, between the Saviour and the sinner, between the Master and the disciple.
So, to be a Christian means that our identity is in Jesus Christ. To be a Christian means that we conform our lives to Jesus Christ and we follow His Way and His Truth.
So, we do not follow what others say or what the world says, but only what Jesus says and what He teaches us.
In that sense, to be a Christian is not being ordinary; in fact, to be a Christian is to go beyond and even to make a difference in this world.
By our lives as Christians, our mission is to make Jesus present, as well as to make others wonder about our beliefs and our conviction.
But of course, that means we are firmly grounded in our commitment.
The 1st reading tells us that we have to keep God's commandments, and to be faithful to God is within our power.
Much like marriage vows and religious promises, we remain faithful to Jesus in good times and in bad, and sickness and in health.
Faithfulness is a powerful form of witnessing to who Jesus is in our lives, because in being faithful, we show that Jesus is our Saviour and we trust in Him alone.
And when our faithfulness is put to the test, then the 1st reading tells us that God gives us a choice.
God has set fire and water before us, and we put out our hand to whichever we prefer. And we also have life and death before us; whichever we like better will be given to us.
When we are firmly grounded in our relationship with Jesus, then we know that faithfulness to Jesus will be the decision and the direction of our lives.
So, in the gospel when Jesus taught about anger and lust and using the name of the God in vain, we know that it is a teaching beyond the ordinary.
What others would ordinarily think and do, Jesus is calling us to think and do beyond.
So, while others would say, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose”, we would say “Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn”.
While others will say, “Win some, lose some”, we will remember the Good Shepherd searching for that one lost sheep, and we will say, “Win some, lose none”, because our mission as Christians is to help everyone go to heaven.
While the world talks about efficiency and productivity, we should be talking about humility and mystery.
Well, the mighty Titanic was built by professionals, while the Ark was built by amateurs, but we all know which stayed afloat.
So, as Christians, we should see further, think deeper, and be holier than just being the ordinary.
To follow the ways of God will demand faithfulness, but when we trust in God and say “Yes” to Him, then we will also show the world the way to the kingdom of God.