​Moses  did  not  easily  come  to  the  Wisdom  and  understanding  he  is  so  sure  of  in  today's  first reading.  He had to work hard at it.  Even so, it is only a small step in the right direction! For while he invites the community to holiness of life, expressed in the refusal to hate, to be two faced or to be imprisoned by the need for revenge, he is still upholding club rules, which have yet to find their way to the world outside the community. 
 
Over time, we begin to see hints that this teaching will be replaced by something better.  And today's Gospel  text  from  St  Matthew  is  a  fine  example  of  this.   So  far,  we  have  learned  that  balance demands  an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.   This  teaching  was  a  major  step  towards controlling violence.  Previously, the Law of Lamech prevailed, 'I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.' (Genesis 4,23) There was no equality in inflicted damage.  But under the eye for an eye dictum, retribution was carefully measured. 
 
The teaching of Jesus supersedes this now and disciples need to be careful that we don't go back to the older ways of  Moses  or  Lamech!    We  are  better  supported  in  this regard when appreciate how clever the teaching of Jesus really is.  He gives three examples of how to be creative when  faced  with  violence  in  His  own  day.  These  clever 
actions are designed to change the balance of power from the violent in favour of the non-violent.  Walter Wink, in his "Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World  of  Domination",  writes,  'Turn  your  cheek,  thus indicating  to  the  one  who  backhands  you  that  their  attempt  to  shame  you  into  servility  has failed.  Strip naked and parade out of court, thus taking the momentum out of the law and the whole debt  economy  and  flipping  them.   Walk  a  second  mile,  surprising  the  occupation  troops  with  a sudden challenge to their control.'  p.185 
 
There is an adventure in the teaching of Jesus and we don't need to be afraid that if we apply the same creativity to our own situation that we will be more vulnerable.  The danger for the afraid is that  we  might  talk  ourselves  out  of  following  this  light,  or  water  it  down  so  much  as  to  make  it worthless. 
 
The Parable of the Snake is helpful here.  The snake hears the stunning teaching of Jesus from a wandering preacher and immediately adopts a life of total non-violence.  He will bite no one.  When the local children realise that he won't bite, they begin to make fun of him and beat him with sticks every day.  The snake is near death when the preacher returns and asks how he is doing.  The snake tells the preacher of his heroic actions, expecting to be praised.  But the preacher says, " I told you not to bite. I didn't say you couldn't rattle and hiss!" 
 
We are always praising heroic Christians who have laid down their life for their faith.  Perhaps it will prove wiser, over time, to praise clever Christians who are able to find new ways to bring non-violence and universal loving into stubborn hearts and stubborn systems.  These amazing women and men hold these values with an inner strength.  They combine them with experience and their knowledge of science and art.  They show us how unseen paths open beneath our feet and how to surprise the worldly wise to new ways of living.

Life and a Death.  These are matters of great importance, and the readings this week invite  us  to  consider  these  precious  things  which  are  in  our  hands.   We  are  also encouraged not to give up on the quest for holiness of life.  Our faithfulness unfolds in our commitment  to  the  Charter  for  just  living  -  the  law-  and  to  the  teaching  of  the Prophets.  But notice how Jesus elevates certain aspects of these and allows others to fall away.  He affirms and deepens the heart of the Law and Prophets and sweeps away what doesn't really matter. 
 
The  higher  calling  of  His  Disciples  is  the  struggle  for  community  in  an  age  of holocaust.  The struggle begins when we aim to strengthen our inner life.  The religious leaders seem to be fixated on externals and their need to be 'seen' by others.  Their egos are so huge, they can no longer see, or give priority to, those who are hurting.  They tinker with trifles, obsess about details of the law and bury their passion for justice, love and compassion in the graveyard of their own self-importance. 
 
Jesus  calls  his  disciples  to  attend  to  their  inner  life.  Life  and  Death,  Love  and  Hate, Adultery and Faithfulness are huge polarities that we have to navigate every day.  The rabbis often speak of 'evil imaginings'. If our angry hearts overflow into abusive talk we have sown the seed for murder.  If we escape the need for reconciliation by just talking to God, Jesus sends us back to the person we have wronged to ask for forgiveness. If lust  and  deceit  leads  us  to  break  people's  hearts,  we  must  enlarge  our  hearts  by honouring the values which underpin love. 
 
One  of  the  oldest,  and  wisest,  spiritual  injunctions  is 'Know  Yourself!'  We  are  pushed  down  the  path  of searing  honesty  and  self-discovery.   We  set  up  a watching and listening post in the centre of our being 
and begin the difficult task of seeing ourselves as we really  are.   We  need  to  know  how  anger  rises  in  us, comes to expression and then recedes.  We need to watch lust and note how it can grip us and rush us along 
paths we may not choose.  We need to understand how we want shortcuts to forgiveness, how we hesitate and sometimes stall when it comes to 
starting a conversation with someone that might bring us peace.   
 
As  St  Matthew  considers  the  size  of  the  problem,  he  takes  a  no  nonsense approach.  Whatever causes us to sin must be removed!  Of course, he is right because sin is pretty ugly.  So, we just have to keep chiselling at our own statues.

When I was about seven, my granny took us to Saltcoats, the holiday Mecca of the west coast of Scotland.  It was mid-summer and still an icy gale swept from the North Pole over the sunbathers who shivered behind their windbreakers!  My first trip to the beach, I dashed towards the sea and ran straight into an underwater hole.  I sank like a corpse and managed to swallow what felt like a gallon of water.  I can still taste it to this day.  Too much salt, too much salt. 

 Isaiah's poetic prophecy in today's first reading is beautiful but it lacked maturity as it only applied to people in the community.  I've always thought that one of the marks of any genuine spirituality is the wideness of its embrace.  I become suspicious the moment I hear the language of exclusion, whether that is of individuals or groups.  Exclusions create control, heightened security and territory that needs to be defended.   
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 The Divine Teacher, on the other hand, situates His disciples in another place.  You are the salt of the earth!  You are the light of the World!  We are something and we may not know it.  When this happens, people lose their flavour. There is nothing to savour.  It gets trampled underfoot.  Jesus seeks to convince us of our high value.  He cuts through any sense of self that cripples and halts - I am a sinner - I'm no good - I'm useless - I lack the skill etc.  He fixes a new truth in the minds and hearts of His disciples.  Hot on the heels of this compliment there is a warning which is meant to strengthen our freedom to be the salt that we are.  We are here for the benefit of the earth.  He calls us to bring zest, meaning and light to all. 

 Over the last few weeks, we have lost some wonderful members of our community.  It was important to family members that they are remembered as people who made the world a better place.  I guess we would all like people to say that when our own time comes.  But what if people were to say, after we are gone, that the world has become a less interesting place!  We were a shot of zest, adding just the right amount of salt to every bland situation.  I wonder if something gets lost when we limit our understanding of salt and light to just good works.  We seldom think of it as meaning creative engagement with a wily world.  Yet the people of salt and light are called to be visionaries who are not afraid to try something new.  If the experiment fails, we don't retreat to our old ways but find even more creative energy to address the situation before us.  Think Big. Think New.  Think Creative. 
 Teilhard de Chardin once wrote that he was afraid that people would lose their zest and passion for the coming to be of the world.  He noted that if we do not find this drive in ourselves, we have not yet searched the full depth of our heart and mind.  Perhaps we are afraid of what we might find there.  Jesus reminds us that we have no need to be afraid.  No need to be afraid!