Daily Gospel Reflection for February 12, 2017 - Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37 - Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

When we are small children, our mother and father give us simple rules to follow. “Don’t do this,” and “Do that.” The reasons and consequences are simple, too. “That’s not nice,” or “You’ll get a tummy ache.”

As we grow older and gain intelligence, we begin to bend their meaning, question their authority. Through experience, we may obtain wisdom, and recognize the Commandments as something other than rules to control us. God establishes the Law out of love for us. Knowing how helpless we are, He sends His Son to fulfill the Law for us.

Now we have children of our own, and for some reason, they just won’t do what we tell them to do! Don’t they understand how much we love them? Don’t they realize everything we tell them is for their own good? If they would only listen to us, we wouldn’t have these problems.

[Tweet "Knowing how helpless we are, God sends His Son to fulfill the Law for us. By Kiernan O'Connor"]

Ponder:

Father in heaven, help us to show our children through our example of how to love you with all our heart and soul, by loving them as we love ourselves.

Pray:

In what ways do I discipline my children out of control, and how can I keep the presence of God in those moments, so that I may discipline them out of love instead?