God has created us free. He does not force us to do anything. Instead, God gives us the gift of His Word, fully spoken to us in Jesus, to help us understand what is good and have the grace to choose to do it.
As we hear the words of Sirach today, we ask for the grace to understand the choices before us clearly, to see them as the Lord does. Often we are swayed in our decision-making by what will make us comfortable, pleased, or entertained in the short term. However, the wisdom of Sirach calls us to see beyond, to look with the Lord at the long term effects of our actions on ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and the world. To see that the good set before us, even when it is difficult to choose in the moment, is something that we can do, and that it can have important life-changing consequences for our relationship with God and with our neighbors. And, conversely, to see that the evil to which we may be tempted is not the better choice that it appears to be, but rather something (even if it is just a word!) that can deeply wound our relationships with our brothers and sisters and with the Lord.
At the end of every proclamation of the Gospel at Mass, the priest or deacon who has read the Gospel kisses the passage and prays quietly, “By the words of the Holy Gospel, may our sins be wiped away.” Today, as we hear the wisdom which Christ bestows in the Sermon on the Mount, may that wisdom shine in our minds, may that wisdom give strength to our hearts, that we may follow Christ in gentleness, in purity of heart, in sincerity of speech. May the will of Christ and the choices of Christ transform our will and our choices this week. Amen!