Sixth Sunday of the Year (Year A)

 Sixth Sunday of the Year February 15, 2026

Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

(image courtesy: Google)

Many years ago, when a social worker worked as a volunteer at a hospital, he got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. All saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he smiled, seeing the colour returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I die right away, or how soon?” The boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he would have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. WOW!.  Beautiful. He loved his sister and gave everything.

This moving act of love opens for us the heart of today’s liturgy. The readings of this day speak about choice, obedience, wisdom, and the depth of righteousness that God desires. At the center of all three readings is a call to generous love, a love that goes beyond calculation, beyond minimum requirement, and beyond external observance. It is a love that chooses God wholeheartedly.

In the first reading from the Book of Sirach, we hear a clear and direct message. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments.” God places before us fire and water, life and death. We are free to stretch out our hand and choose. Sirach reminds us that God does not force anyone into goodness. He has given us intelligence, freedom, and responsibility. The commandments are not burdens imposed to restrict us. They are pathways to life. They are the means by which we protect our dignity and the dignity of others. Obedience is not blind submission but a conscious decision to walk in God’s ways.

Sirach also makes it clear that God is just. He sees all things. Nothing escapes His sight. We cannot blame God for our sins. We cannot say that He caused us to do wrong. We choose. This truth can be uncomfortable, because it places responsibility on our shoulders. Yet it is also liberating. If we can choose wrongly, we can also choose rightly. Every day presents us with opportunities to choose life. Every decision, small or great, shapes our character and destiny. Fidelity to God’s law is not a matter of fear, but of love and trust.

The second reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians takes us deeper. St Paul speaks about wisdom. Not the wisdom of this world, which often measures success by power, wealth, or popularity, but the hidden wisdom of God. This divine wisdom was prepared before the ages for our glory. It is a wisdom that the rulers of this age did not understand. It is revealed to us through the Spirit.

The wisdom of God is revealed most perfectly in Christ. It is a wisdom that sees beyond appearances. It teaches us that true greatness is found in humility, that true victory is found in sacrifice, and that true life is found in self-giving love. Human reasoning alone may not grasp this mystery. But the Spirit enlightens our hearts. Through prayer, through the Word of God, and through the sacraments, we begin to see as God sees. We begin to value what He values.

This wisdom prepares us to understand the Gospel from Matthew. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares that He has not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfil them. He does not weaken the commandments. Instead, He deepens them. “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The scribes and Pharisees were careful in observing the external details of the law. Yet Jesus calls for something more. He moves from the external action to the inner attitude. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not kill.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” He moves from the act of adultery to the purity of the heart. He speaks about truthfulness, integrity, and faithfulness. In every example, Jesus shifts the focus from mere compliance to conversion of heart.

The Gospel challenges us to examine not only what we do, but why we do it. It asks us to look at our thoughts, our intentions, our hidden attitudes. We may avoid serious sins, yet still harbour resentment, jealousy, or pride. We may speak politely yet hold bitterness within. Jesus calls us to interior transformation. The law written on stone must be written in our hearts.

This is demanding. It requires sacrifice. It requires letting go of anger, forgiving those who hurt us, controlling our impulses, and speaking truthfully even when it costs us. It means choosing reconciliation over revenge. It means choosing fidelity over selfish desire. It means choosing honesty over convenience. In short, it means choosing love.

The readings today invite us to move from minimum requirement to generous response. God does not ask for half-hearted obedience. He desires our whole heart. Just as Sirach places before us life and death, Jesus places before us the narrow path and the broad path. The narrow path is not restrictive because God delights in limiting us. It is narrow because love demands focus, discipline, and commitment.

In our daily lives, we often face simple but significant choices. Will I forgive or will I hold a grudge? Will I speak truth or will I exaggerate? Will I serve or will I remain indifferent? These choices may seem small, yet they shape our soul. Each act of love strengthens us. Each compromise weakens us. The Christian life is built on countless daily decisions to choose God.

True love always involves sacrifice. It moves beyond calculation. It does not ask first, “How much must I give?” but rather, “What is needed?” The wisdom of God teaches us that giving ourselves does not lead to loss but to fulfillment. When we give generously, we reflect the very heart of Christ, who gave Himself completely for our salvation.

As we approach the altar today, we are reminded of the greatest gift ever given. Christ did not give us something external. He gave us His very life. In the Eucharist, we receive that self-giving love. We are strengthened to live the higher righteousness that the Gospel demands. We are empowered to choose life, to choose love, and to choose fidelity.

Let us ask the Lord for the grace to obey not only in action but in heart. May we seek the wisdom that comes from the Spirit. May we courageously choose the path that leads to life, even when it requires sacrifice. And may our love be generous, wholehearted, and self-giving, like that of the little boy who believed that to save his sister he had to give everything, and was ready to do so without hesitation.

Happy Sunday