“You
have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You
shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.” Mt 5:21
From St. John Paul II’s Gospel of Life
“Man's life comes from God; it is his gift… God therefore
is the sole Lord of this life: man cannot do with it as he wills… Human life
and death are thus in the hands of God, in his power… But God does not exercise
this power in an arbitrary and threatening way, but rather as part of his care
and loving concern for his creatures. If it is true that human life is in the
hands of God, it is no less true that these are loving hands, like those of a
mother who accepts, nurtures and takes care of her child… (39)
The sacredness of life gives rise to its inviolability, written
from the beginning in man's heart… in the depths of his conscience, man is
always reminded of the inviolability of life - his own life and that of others -
as something which does not belong to him, because it is the property and gift
of God the Creator and Father (40).
…In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus demands from his
disciples a righteousness which surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees,
also with regard to respect for life: "You have heard that it was said to
the men of old, You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to
judgment'. But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall
be liable to judgment…" (Mt 5:21-22).
…Jesus further unveils the positive requirements of the
commandment regarding the inviolability of life… already present in the Old
Testament, where legislation dealt with protecting and defending life when it
was weak and threatened… including children in the womb… (41)
“Human life is sacred because from its beginning it
involves ‘the creative action of God', and it remains forever in a special
relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of
life from its beginning until its end: no one can, in any circumstance, claim
for himself the right to destroy directly an innocent human being" (53).
Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feb. 12th, 2017
Sir
15:15-20 Psalm Ps 119 1 Cor 2:6-10 Mt
5:17-37
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