It's never easy but...

Today's Gospel is hard in every way, Matthew 5.17-37 a passage that one commentator optimistically described as 'Jesus sets new standards of goodness.' It's hard to read, hard to listen to and can feel almost impossible to live out. Layers of cultural and hermeneutical unpacking could be indulged in, but with an 8 to 10 minute homily slot you are not going to get very far. After trying three variants on a common theme at today's three Eucharists I am exhausted. Though at the heart of the matter is challenge by Our Lord to walk with Him the via crucis, yes we can have right belief and even right action but God goes deeper, what are our intentions, our desires, and are they of God? We need to orientate the whole of our lives on God, seen in Jesus Christ, our will, intellect and spirit. We need to develop the virtuous and the good. It all sounds so easy in a homily but it's the living out of the via crucis that can literally be a killer!