Feb 7, 2026 Written by 

Beyond the law, higher Justice

This Sunday's long passage, taken from the Gospel of Matthew, addresses various themes.

Among these is the urgency of overcoming the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees by carefully doing God's will.

Almost without realising it, Francis was a great spiritual teacher.

By grace, he was convinced that justice always goes hand in hand with mercy.

A justice far removed from grim rigidity, eager to express itself in the fulfilment of God's will, always respecting one's brother.

The Franciscan Sources teach us a great deal about this.

"If it ever happened that a brother uttered a word that could hurt someone, his remorse would not allow him to rest until he confessed his mistake, humbly throwing himself to the ground and begging the offended party to put his foot on his mouth.

If that brother refused to do so, when the offender was his superior, he commanded him to put his foot on his mouth; when he was a subject, he had the person in charge order him to do so.

In this way, the friars committed themselves to banishing all resentment and incompatibility and to preserving mutual love intact.

They did everything possible to replace every vice with the corresponding virtue, inspired and assisted in this by the Grace of Jesus Christ" (FF 1449).

 

Justice and Mercy are to be sought, to be asked of God first and foremost in prayer and silence, for a new heart is a gift from the Lord, a continuous exodus.

In the Rule of the Hermits, written by Francis, we read:

«And these [the friars] shall have a cloister, in which each shall have his own little cell, in which he can pray and sleep [...] and they shall rise for matins, and first of all seek the kingdom of God and his Justice» (FF 137).

In the same Praises of God Most High, Francis emphasises that God is Justice:

«[...] You are Justice,

You are temperance,

You are all our wealth in sufficiency» (FF 261).

The Poor man, knowing that the Lord-Justice called for more than just a manner of justice, worked tirelessly for the Kingdom of Heaven and tried to teach his friars to do the same.

He never forgot that mercy always prevails in God's judgement.

 

«For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven» (Mt 5:20).

 

 

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A  (Mt 5:17-37)

552 Last modified on Saturday, 07 February 2026 04:26
Teresa Girolami

Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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