Friday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time 

Memorial of St Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church 

Finding God’s Voice 

To understand Jesus when he is challenging, as in Matthew 5:27-32, we have to see how he faced his own challenge in the garden of Gethsemane. When he prayed, “Thy will be done!” it was not for fear of having his “whole body thrown into Gehenna.” Or even fear of committing some great sin, like “adultery.” Jesus went deeper than that. 

Everything he says in this passage is based on the fundamental goal of the Sermon on the Mount: to explain the New Law as what we have to do to live out the mystery of redemption: the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,” the favor of sharing in the divine life of Father, Son and Spirit. Any merely human behavior that does not come out of union with God’s own mind and will and heart falls so far short that it is unthinkable. That is why Jesus says, “All who even look at others with lust have already committed adultery in their heart.” He is thinking mystery, not just morality. So must we. 

Decision: Never ask what is right or wrong. Ask what is like God. 

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings, Lectionary #363, on the USCCB website here

Fr. David M. Knight (1931-2021) was a priest of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, a prolific writer, and a highly sought after confessor, spiritual director, and retreat master. He authored more than 40 books and hundreds of articles that focus primarily on lay spirituality and life-long spiritual growth.