6th Sunday in Ordinary Time – A
February 15, 2026 8:30am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Anger
For just a minute, imagine this.
At work, on your job, a coworker starts talking to others and maybe even the boss about what they did on a particular project. They pass themselves off as having come up with the idea or done a major part of the work, when it was really you who made it happen.
You feel upset and angry. And this is natural, isn’t it?
Your anger signals that an injustice has occurred. So, what do you do with your anger?
In what I call a healthy and gospel-based response, you pause, you reflect, and then you address the issue as respectfully as you can. Perhaps you speak privately with the coworker and express your upset.
Or perhaps you speak with your supervisor and clarify your contribution to the project. Your anger motivates you to pursue fairness while still respecting the coworker’s dignity.
Healthy or Unhealthy
The point here is that anger, by itself, is not sinful.
It is a human feeling, a part of who we are as human beings. Healthy or normal anger is an emotional response to something that is unjust, harmful, or wrong.
On the flip side, what is called unhealthy or sinful anger goes beyond recognizing what is unjust, harmful, or wrong. It becomes hurtful, even destructive.
Healthy anger is controlled and directed at the problem. But sinful anger attacks the person.
You may gossip about your coworker and label them as dishonest. You may hope that they fail and even want to take revenge.
Jesus and Anger
This distinction helps explain Jesus’ words in today’s gospel.
Jesus says; “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not kill.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with another will be liable to judgment.”
Jesus moves the focus from the outward act of murder to the inward attitude of the heart. The insight is that murder does not begin with a weapon.
It begins with contempt and hatred. When anger turns into contempt and hatred, it has the spirit that leads to violence.
So, Jesus is not condemning the emotion of anger in itself. Instead, he wants us to get in touch with our feelings of anger and express them in a constructive way.
Healthy anger seeks justice while preserving respect. Sinful anger seeks to wound, diminish, or destroy.
There is a big difference. And basically, the difference lies in whether our heart remains aligned with God’s mercy or drifts toward contempt and hatred.
Sexuality and Oaths
Jesus gives two other examples in this passage, and he wants us to deal with them in the same way – moving from just the outer act to our inner attitude.
So, he speaks of marriage and sexual expression. He wants us to integrate our sexual drives – a part of who we are as human beings – he wants us to integrate them into a life lived by gospel values.
Jesus is calling us to lives of faithful love. And he is calling us to respect others as persons and not view them as objects for our own pleasure.
And then Jesus speaks of oaths. He is not putting down the use of oaths in a courtroom.
But he is saying that there is no need for swearing oaths in ordinary life. Simply speak what is within you and say Yes if you mean Yes and No if you mean No.
From Outer to Inner
So, to wrap it up, let’s go back to where Jesus begins today: “I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them.”
He wants us to go beyond the law, as something outside of us that we just must obey. He wants us to go within and live out the spirit of the law, the values and principles that are its foundation.
Living this fulfillment of the law will give us a sense of fullness. It will make us more at peace with Jesus and with one another.
