Memorial of Saint Barnabas
June 11, 2020
Daily reading from the USCCB: Matthew 5:20-26
The demands of following Jesus are greater than the demands of the Jewish law. In this long section of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus offers a series of six situations in which the demands of the law are superseded by the demands of Jesus.
First, Jesus talks about the importance of being on good terms with our neighbor. Any antipathy to our neighbor Jesus says, is a capital offense–a “federal case.” Moreover, love for our neighbor is practically as important as our worship of God, since on occasion our neighbor’s needs are more important than observing the rules of worship.
Love for our neighbor sometimes can even take precedence over the defense of our own rights. How important is my neighbor to me?
