A Deeper interior life brings us closer to God

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1 Kgs 19:9.11-16, Mt. 5:27-32. Today's first reading recounts how Elijah went away to Mount Sinai after a long journey of forty days and forty nights from the land of Israel, during the time when he fled the intense persecution and hunt against him by the forces of his enemies. Elijah went up to Mount Sinai and God showed Himself to him through a series of natural causes; preceded by the coming of earthquakes and strong winds and eventually revealing Himself to Elijah, who then stood in the Presence of God. Elijah pleaded with the Lord, stating the frustrating conditions suffered by the faithful and how wicked the people of Israel had been. God had been guiding Elijah during his ministry among the Israelites and He told him that He was sending him again to the midst of the Israelites and revealed what He would do for the people that He loved so much and yet were so stubborn in refusing to believe in Him and refusing to turn away from their sinful past. He would raise a new king over Israelites, Jehu the king of Aram who would punish the sinful Israelites. Finally, God chose Elisha to be the prophet succeeding Elijah in his work among the Israelites. In today's Gospel, Jesus expands the discourse on deeper virtue and greater holiness by challenging us to go beyond mere stipulations to concrete reality. Today, we are challenged to a higher and more demanding, but more loving standard of the Gospel values that is not based on mere avoidance of sin but to avoid even the source or occasion of sin. The authenticity of our commitment to Jesus is tested with the intention of our hearts. For Jesus, adultery is not just a bodily act, it begins in the heart and intention, that is, at a much deeper level. If the source of our sins emanate from places or persons that are important to us as our eyes, hands and limps are to us, we must set them aside to be free from the lure of sin. Only a deeper interior life and daily inner conversion could help us to get to this deeper level with God. It was in this interior disposition that Elijah discovered God in the gentle breeze. By this interior disposition, we can easily turn away from sin and embrace God’s righteous ways as soon as we can. May the Lord grant us the grace to live in newness of life and give us the insight to see His hand at work in all things! Amen!! Good morning and have a blessed day!!!