I did not come to abolish but to fulfill: Sir 15, 1 Cor 2, and Jesus and the Law in Mt 5

I did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I came not to abolish but to fulfill. Mt 5:17

The sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, the last Sunday before Lent, weaves together three texts on the relationship between human freedom, divine wisdom, and the fulfillment of the Law. Sir 15:15-20 proclaims that keeping the commandments is within reach of anyone who chooses to do so: God has placed fire and water, life and death, before every person, and each one freely chooses. 1 Cor 2:6-10 presents the hidden wisdom that God intended for his elect’s glory, which the Spirit reveals. Mt 5:17-37 shows Jesus affirming that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, and to deepen it radically: from the prohibition of murder to control over anger, from adultery to purity of intention, from divorce to integrity of word.

I. The First Reading: Sir 15:15-20

The Wisdom of Solomon declares against any fatalism or determinism: “If you choose to keep the commandments, you will keep them” (Sir 15:15). God has placed fire and water, life and death before every person: “Stretch out your hand to whoever you wish” (v.16). Before each person stand life and death, and whichever they choose, that will be theirs (v.17). The Wisdom of Solomon articulates radical human freedom: obedience to God is not a natural necessity but a choice. This does not mean that God’s grace is unnecessary; it means that grace does not nullify freedom but empowers it. God does not want slaves but sons who choose freely. And his eyes see the works of men and know all their deeds (v.19): freedom is real, and its consequences are also.

II. The Second Reading: 1 Cor 2:6-10

Paul distinguishes two types of wisdom: that of the rulers of this age, which is being reduced to nothingness, and God’s wisdom, mysterious and hidden (1 Cor 2:6-7). This wisdom was established by God before time for our glory (v.7b). The rulers of this age did not know it; if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory (v.8). He quotes Isaiah 64:3: “What is seen with the eye, or heard with the ear, that has been thought and understood by the human heart, God has prepared for those who love him” (v.9). This reality was revealed by the Spirit (v.10): hidden wisdom is not attained through intellectual effort but through openness to the Spirit who searches the depths of God.

III. The Gospel: Mt 5:17-37

Jesus sums up his teaching as a fulfillment, not an abolition, of the Law and the Prophets (v.17). He goes on to deepen the Law’s prohibitions, such as anger (v.21-26), divorce (v.31-32), and oaths (v.33-37), showing that true freedom is found in following his teachings.

## Jesus and the Fulfillment of the LawJesus declares in the Sermon on the Mount: «Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill» (Mt 5:17). The novelty of Jesus is not rupture but fullness. The letter of the Law prohibited murder. Jesus goes to the root: «Whoever is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment» (v.22). Violence begins in the heart before reaching the hand. The letter prohibited adultery. Jesus goes to the root: «Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart» (v.28). Fidelity begins in the gaze, before reaching the act. On divorce, Jesus returns to the original intent of the Creator: what God has joined, let no man separate. Regarding oaths, the radicality is even greater: do not swear at all. «Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no,’ ‘no.’ Anything beyond these comes from evil» (v.37). Jesus does not make the Law heavier; he makes it more interior. The Pharisee kept the letter. The disciple of Jesus is called to fulfill the spirit, starting from a transformed heart.## Mary and the Fulfillment of the LawSirach 15 states that keeping the commandments is a free choice: God placed before man fire and water, life and death, and each extends his hand to what he chooses. Mary is the creature who extended her hand to life with perfect freedom: the “fiat” of Luke 1:38 is not resignation but total adherence of human will to divine will. Sirach 15 says it is possible to align freedom with God; Mary demonstrated that it can be done without reserve. 1 Corinthians 2 states: «For what has been seen by the eye, or heard by the ear, or understood by the human mind, was not created from any of these» (v.9). Mary was the first creature to receive, in her womb, what no human heart had yet conceived: the Word of God made flesh. The unimaginable became reality in her before becoming reality for the world. And Matthew 5:17 states that Jesus did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Mary is the place where the promise of Isaiah 7:14, «Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son» found its fulfillment. She did not abolish the Law of Israel; she lived it so interiorly and fully that she became, herself, the sign of the new thing God had promised. The Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time invites the disciple on this same path: from letter to heart, from exterior observance to free adherence, from minimal compliance to the fullness of love.