The document serves as a guide for a Bible study session focusing on the theme of holiness and wise decision-making based on biblical teachings from Sirach, Psalms, 1 Corinthians, and the Gospel of Matthew. It emphasizes the importance of following God's commandments, seeking divine wisdom, and cultivating good relationships with others as essential components of holiness. The reflections highlight the need for Christians to operate beyond mere legalism and strive for a deeper understanding of God's will in their lives.

1. Welcome to our Bible
Study
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
16 February 2014
In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy
In aid of focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

2. 1st Reading: Sirach 15,15-20

15 If you choose you can keep the commandments;
it is loyalty to do his will. 16 There are set before
you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch
forth your hand. 17 Before man are life and death,
whichever he chooses shall be given him. 18
Immense is the wisdom of the LORD; he is mighty in
power, and all-seeing. 19 The eyes of God see all
he has made; he understands man's every deed. 20
No man does he command to sin, to none does he
give strength for lies.

3. 1st Reading: Sirach 15,15-20

15 If you choose you can keep the commandments;
it is loyalty to do his will. 16 There are set before
you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch
forth your hand. 17 Before man are life and death,
whichever he chooses shall be given him. 18
Immense is the wisdom of the LORD; he is mighty in
power, and all-seeing. 19 The eyes of God see all
he has made; he understands man's every deed. 20
No man does he command to sin, to none does he
give strength for lies.
The focus is on making wise choices.

4. 1st Reading: Sirach 15,15-20

15 If you choose you
can keep the
commandments; it is
loyalty to do his will. 16
There are set before you
fire and water; to
whichever you choose,
stretch forth your hand.
17 Before man are life
and death, whichever he
chooses shall be given
him. 18 Immense is the
wisdom of the LORD; he
is mighty in power, and
all-seeing. 19 The eyes
of God see all he has
made; he understands
man's every deed. 20 No
man does he command
to sin, to none does he
give strength for lies.
Commentary
 The reading comes from the group of
Wisdom Writings.
 It teaches us how to be wise.
 V.15 says that if we so desire / decide, we
can obey God’s commands. We don’t keep
or violate God’s commands mindlessly. We
are responsible for our decisions, bad or
good.
 V.16 teaches us about two opposite
choices. When we choose, we always exert
tremendous effort.
 In v.17, we are faced with two alternatives:
life and death. We can always choose life.
 Vv.18-20 talks of God’s wisdom:
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Immense, v.18
Powerful and see everything. V.18
Sees all, understands our deeds, v.19
Does not make you sin, tell lies, v.20

5. Reflections on the 1st Reading
 We
decide to be wise.
 We are always confronted to make a choice.
 If we are in our right mind and senses, we
make wise decisions.
 We do not decide to go for evil.
 God’s laws help us to decide.

6. Resp. Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
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R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
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1 Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.

4 You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
5 Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes!

17 Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
18 Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.

33 Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
34 Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.

7. Resp. Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

R. (1b) Blessed are they who
follow the law of the Lord!

1 Blessed are they whose way is
blameless, who walk in the law of
the LORD.
2 Blessed are they who observe his
decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.

4 You have commanded that your
precepts be diligently kept.
5 Oh, that I might be firm in the
ways of keeping your statutes!

17 Be good to your servant, that I
may live and keep your words.
18 Open my eyes, that I may
consider
the wonders of your law.

33 Instruct me, O LORD, in the way
of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
34 Give me discernment, that I may
observe your law and keep it with
all my heart.
Commentary
 V.1 extols those who keep God’s
commands. They are happy.
 V.2 says the same to those who
seek him (pray to him for
guidance).
 In v.4, the psalmist is aware that
God wants his precepts to be
followed.
 In v.5, the psalmist prays that he
may be strong in following God’s
commands.
 In vv.17-18, the psalmist prays to
God to show favor to him, to keep
his words and law.
 In vv.33-34, the psalmist prays for
guidance and discernment (good
judgment) that he may keep the
law.

8. Reflections on the Psalm

The Psalm teaches us what to pray for:
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Guidance and Strength, to keep God’s laws.
We, Christians, rather pray for favors like landing a
good job, good health, etc.
We seldom pray that we may do what is right and
just.
No wonder, even if we pray a lot or go to mass
everyday, we are not changed.
We are still fragrant violators of God’s laws.
The content of our prayers must exhibit that we are
serious in keeping God’s laws.

9. 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2,6-10

6 There is, to be sure, a certain wisdom which we
express among the spiritually mature. It is not a
wisdom of this age, however, nor of the rulers of this
age who are men headed for destruction. 7 No, what
we utter is God's wisdom: a mysterious, a hidden
wisdom. God planned it before all ages for our glory. 8
None of the rulers of this age knew the mystery; if
they had known it, they would never have crucified the
Lord of glory. 9 Of this wisdom it is written: “Eye has
not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as
dawned on man what God has prepared for those who
love him.” 10 Yet God has revealed to us through the
Spirit. The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the deep
things of God.

10. 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2,6-10

6 There is, to be sure, a certain wisdom which we
express among the spiritually mature. It is not a
wisdom of this age, however, nor of the rulers of this
age who are men headed for destruction. 7 No, what
we utter is God's wisdom: a mysterious, a hidden
wisdom. God planned it before all ages for our glory. 8
None of the rulers of this age knew the mystery; if
they had known it, they would never have crucified the
Lord of glory. 9 Of this wisdom it is written: “Eye has
not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as
dawned on man what God has prepared for those who
love him.” 10 Yet God has revealed this wisdom to us
through the Spirit. The Spirit scrutinizes everything,
even the deep things of God.
The focus is on divine wisdom.

11. 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2,6-10

6 There is, to be sure, a
certain wisdom which we
express among the spiritually
mature. It is not a wisdom of
this age, however, nor of the
rulers of this age who are
men headed for destruction.
7 No, what we utter is God's
wisdom: a mysterious, a
hidden wisdom. God planned
it before all ages for our
glory. 8 None of the rulers of
this age knew the mystery; if
they had known it, they would
never have crucified the Lord
of glory. 9 Of this wisdom it
is written: “Eye has not seen,
ear has not heard, nor has it
so much as dawned on man
what God has prepared for
those who love him.” 10 Yet
God has revealed this
wisdom to us through the
Spirit. The Spirit scrutinizes
everything, even the deep
things of God.
Commentary
 St. Paul talks about God’s wisdom.
 In v.6, Paul clarifies the kind of wisdom he
is talking about:


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In v.7, Paul describes it as:
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Mysterious, hidden
It was there before time. It is destined for our
glory.
In v.8, Paul goes back to v.6. The rulers of
this age was not aware of it.
A sign that they were not aware:


Wisdom for the spiritually mature
Not a wisdom of this age or corrupt rulers
they crucified Christ.
In v.9, God intends this wisdom for those
who love God, not just for anyone.
In v.10, Paul says that we, Christians, have
known this wisdom. Lucky are we!
We have known it through the Spirit that
scrutinizes everything.

12. Reflections on the 2nd Reading
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We should have God’s wisdom.
We can have it if we love him.
God’s wisdom is not free for all, not that cheap.
It is something that is destined for us, lovers of God,
for our glory.
Meaning, this wisdom will accompany us to heaven.
We, Christians, should make sure that we possess
this divine wisdom.
Wisdom of this earth, like having business and
political acumen, knowing a lot of data and
information, is something else.

13. Gospel Reading: Mt 5:17-37 or 5:2022a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37
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20 Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, unless your holiness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into
the kingdom of God.
21 "You have heard the commandment imposed on your ancestors,
'You shall not commit murder; every murderer will be liable to
judgment.‘ 22 What I say to you is: whoever is angry with his
brother will be liable to judgment.
27 "You have heard the commandment, 'You shall not commit
adultery.‘ 28 What I say to you is: anyone who looks lustfully at a
woman has already committed adultery with her in his thoughts.
33 “You have heard the commandment imposed on your
forefathers: 'Do not take a false oath, rather, make good to the Lord
all your pledges.‘ 34 What I tell you is: do not swear at all; 37 Say,
'Yes' when you mean 'Yes,' and 'No' when you mean 'No.' Anything
beyond that is from the evil one.
The focus is on holiness.

14. Gospel Reading: Mt 5:17-37 or 5:2022a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37


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20 Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell
you, unless your holiness
surpasses that of the scribes and
Pharisees, you will not enter into
the kingdom of God.
21 "You have heard the
commandment imposed on your
ancestors, 'You shall not commit
murder; every murderer will be
liable to judgment.‘ 22 What I say
to you is: whoever is angry with his
brother will be liable to judgment.
27 "You have heard the
commandment, 'You shall not
commit adultery.‘ 28 What I say to
you is: anyone who looks lustfully
at a woman has already committed
adultery with her in his thoughts.
33 “You have heard the
commandment imposed on your
forefathers: 'Do not take a false
oath, rather, make good to the Lord
all your pledges.‘ 34 What I tell you
is: do not swear at all; 37 Say, 'Yes'
when you mean 'Yes,' and 'No'
when you mean 'No.' Anything
beyond that is from the evil one.
Commentary
 V.20 requires Christians to be more holy
than the Scribes and Pharisees to enter
heaven.
 To be more righteous is to do more than
what is prescribed in the law.
 V.21 requires Christians not to be angry.
Before it was OK to be angry as long as
you do not kill the person.
 V.27 requires Christians not to look at
other people (opposite sex) lustfully.
Before it was OK to do it as long as you
don’t commit adultery with the person.
 V.33 requires Christians not to take false
oaths or mindlessly take oaths.
 V.34 requires Christians to be
straightforward in their commitments.
 Yes should mean Yes. No should mean
No.
 Christians should not give mixed signals.

15. Reflections on the Gospel
 Christians
should not be minimalistic in their
responses to God’s challenges.
 They should not be too legalistic in their
observance of the law.
 They should do more.
 Christians should operate on a higher level of
awareness and sensitivity.
 To be holy, we must be creative.

16. Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm

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The first reading exhorts us to be wise. We decide according
to God’s laws.
The psalm encourages us to pray for wisdom that we may do
only what is right.
The second reading exhorts us to work for God’s wisdom, not
for human wisdom.
The gospel reading exhorts us to practice faith to the
maximum.

17. How to develop your homily / sharing
 Our
goal in life is to become holy.
 We cannot go to heaven if we are not holy.
 Religious practices should help us to become
holy.
 We are missing the most important point of
our religion if we do not understand what
holiness is all about.
 The readings should teach us how to be holy.

18.  The
first reading teaches us that holiness is
keeping God’s commandment.
 We see it to that whatever we do, whatever
we decide conforms to God’s laws.
 We don’t violate any of his commandments.
 We make wrong decisions if we violate God’s
laws in the process.

19. 

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The second reading teaches us that we must seek
God’s wisdom.
We are not here only to be informed, to read
newspapers, or, to be taught how to make a living.
We must, first of all, set our hearts and minds to
God’s grace (wisdom) that will lead us to heaven.
If we are only after our material needs and
immediate gratification, we cannot be holy.
We should seek higher values.

20.  The
gospel reading teaches us that we
should do more than just mechanically
conforming to God’s laws.
 To be holy is to pay attention to God’s heart,
to exercise utmost sensitivity.
 Christianity is not a preoccupation of rules
and regulations.
 It is more than that.
 It is how we treat our brothers and sisters.

21.  We
may not be inflicting physical violence on
them, but deep in our hearts, we may be
thinking maliciously of them

suspecting them to be thieves, blaming them, jealous of
them, making them as sex objects, or instruments of
enriching ourselves.
 We
cannot be holy, or come closer to God if
we have no proper attitude towards our
neighbors.
 Holiness is establishing good relationships
with God and with others.

22. 
We cannot be holy if we harbor anger at our parents,
brothers or sisters, or officemates.

The religious organizations or ministries in the church
are supposed to help us become holy.
But if they become occasions for sins (like gossiping,
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competing for posts, politicking, slandering, talking against one
another, against the church, against the priests, spreading
rumors and speculations), they should be demolished.
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It is hard to be holy if there is too much negative
energy and bad faith in our ranks.
One consequence of this is when we cannot get new
recruits.
We should heal ourselves first (through our counselors and
conversions) before “serving” others.

23.  The
Document of Vatican II defines holiness
as:

fullness of Christian life and perfection of charity
 We
must learn fully the teachings of Christ, in
the Bible and in the Church.

We cannot be holy according to Christ’s terms, if
we are ignorant of him and of his Church.
 We

must exercise utmost charity in our ranks.
Knowledge of the Bible and of our faith is useless
if we lack charity and respect.

24. 
Those who lack charity
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bulldoze, bully people to get what they want
use abusive words
paint a bad picture to other people
do not give a single penny or centavo to the church
don’t love the poor
don’t pay their dues to their organizations
enjoy parties without paying anything
They should not be allowed to lead our committees
or ministries. They have attitude problems. They are
not holy.
Are you holy?

25.  The
eucharist is the sacrament that makes us
holy.
 The eucharist is for those who keep God’s
words and who struggle to be holy.
 The eucharist is God’s wisdom that leads us
to heaven.

26. Our Context of Sin and Grace
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Minimalistic
Lawlessness in the church
(anything goes)
Does not follow liturgical
laws
Robot Christians, follow
orders, not knowing why
Schizophrenic Christians
(very tender and loving to
their images and statues,
but cruel to their brethren)
Making fun of old people
Uncharitable

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Keeps the rules of his/her
organization
God-fearing people
Bible Study, Bible Sharing
Willing to learn who Christ is
through the Scriptures and
Theology
Helps in gift-giving,
distribution of relief goods
Spirituality of Stewardship
Give tithes
Sends children to school

27. Suggested Songs
 Happy
is the Man
 Happy the Man
 For
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