Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A
Readings: Ecclesiasticus 15: 15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37
15 February 2026
Beyond minimalist ethic to deep interiorisation of Christian values
Dear sisters and brothers,
“It is alright as long as no one gets hurt”. That is the line some people use to justify their behaviour. In a society where there are all kinds of competing and conflicting points of view, we may be tempted by this so-called minimalist ethic. As long as we do not steal, or kill, or commit adultery or violate someone else’s rights, as long as we do not break any rule, then it must be OK. The trouble is that we cannot presume to know all the consequences of our actions. There are things we initially thought were harmless that can result in damage and difficulty. Consensual sex, for example, can lead to unintended pregnancy. Even if we did anticipate the outcome of our actions, minimalist ethic would still be an inadequate standard for living a morally responsible, let alone a Christian way of life.
As we gather for the Eucharist today, we reflect on the demands of discipleship and the moral imperatives of the Gospel. We are challenged by God’s Word that speaks of the courage to live by not merely by conventional ethics but by the wisdom of God. In Jesus, we have a model of living life to the full, in service of others. In him, an alternative consciousness and mode of living is possible that will enable us to be the light of the world.
In the reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, the author Ben Sira stresses the responsibility that flows from our freedom of choice. The author presses upon the people that they must choose between God’s wisdom and the value system of the world. He uses contrasting images of fire and water, life and death to describe the radical nature of the choice. Elsewhere, he defines what living by the wisdom of God entails. It means to prioritise the care of the poor and the oppressed over the pursuit of power and wealth. It means to follow the path of righteous suffering, “via negativa” as St John of the Cross would say. This divine wisdom is truly counterintuitive because it goes against the grain of human nature.
Like Ben Sira, Paul in the second reading also reminds the newly pagan converts that they now must choose between God’s wisdom and the popular value systems around them. He affirms that Jesus is the manifestation of the wisdom of God who taught us how to transform our lives and relationships through a new consciousness. The disciples must change their default conventional wisdom into the wisdom of the cross, based on self-emptying love.
The Gospel story tells us of the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees on the question of religious observance. Some of these prioritise external requirements of the Law at the expense of its internal transformation. Jesus condemns this shallow, self-serving and false religion, which becomes an accessory to one’s public image and a means to enhance one’s status. He challenges us to practice a holiness that goes to the heart, that has to do with integrity, love and service. It is not just avoiding infringements of the law but fulfilling its purpose. It is not checking all the right boxes, but getting one’s heart right with God. It is not doing the minimum but loving others even at our own cost.
Jesus challenges all of us to a new way of living, which is much more than adhering to the letter of the law. He invites us to go deeper. It is an invitation to live the Beatitudes and not just avoiding the prohibitions. The 10 Commandments establish structure, whereas the Beatitudes represent the internal transformation. They are the inversion or subversion of the world’s winners-take-all system. They oblige us to care for the undeserving against the ingrained culture of entitlement and merit Christianity ultimately is the interiorisation of who we believe God to be.
My Franciscan confrere Richard Rohr puts it provocatively when he writes: “Christianity is a lifestyle – a way of being in the world that’s simple, non-violent, shared and loving. However, we have made it into an established ‘religion’ and avoided the lifestyle change itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish and vain in most of Christian history, and yet still believe that Jesus is one’s ‘personal Lord and Saviour’.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
Christian discipleship demands our moral courage, integrity and fidelity. Our ancestors in faith were asked to reject false gods and live by God’s wisdom instead. The disciples were asked to go beyond the letter of the law and to interiorise holiness in a way that transforms their lives, relationships and behaviours. They were to set themselves apart; to become an alternative society rather than assimilating and conforming to the value system of the dominant culture.
Let us live the call of Christian discipleship in an era where there is much mistrust, scepticism, partisanship and polarisation. May the God who accompanies His people enable us to walk the hard, long and often winding road of critical discernment, truth seeking, neighbourly service and fidelity to the cross. May we learn the art of living in God’s presence: our identity grounded, commitment deepened and mission nurtured for greater service of the kingdom.
