Sunday Readings for February 14-15, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
Have you thought about how many choices you make in a day? As Sirach puts it, some choices are water, while others are fire. We must take the holy risk of choosing love in our decisions.
In our decision-making, a line from the second reading from St. Paul can rest softly upon us, like a hand on the shoulder. “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). We may think we know what we want and what will make us happy, but God’s thoughts for our lives are far wilder, kinder and deeper. God is not limited by our imagination, confined by the borders of our hope or restricted by the size of our dreams.
In the Gospel, Jesus deepens the expectations that come from our choices. He does not say, “Just follow the commandments, and you’ll be fine.“ Rather, he says, “Let the commandments bloom inside you, let your heart be transformed.” He does not say, “Avoid the big sins, and you’re good.” He says, “Become the kind of person whose very presence brings peace.”
It is as if all three readings sing the same refrain: “Be careful what you ask for, because God may be trying to give you something better.”
I remember a time in my life when I prayed, with all my heart, for a relationship to work out. I lit votive candles, said Rosaries, and prayed to God with a bargaining that would make a used‑car salesman proud. I asked God to bless what I had already decided I wanted. When what I wanted fell apart, I felt that God had slammed a door shut on me.
But as time moved on, and after leaning on the soft wisdom that comes only after tears have dried, I came to understand that sometimes God’s “no” is an invitation to trust that God’s “idea” is truly better. Even when it arrives slowly, strangely, or wrapped in something we did not ask for. It reminds us that God is always preparing something — quietly, patiently and lovingly — for those who love him. It reminds us that “God something” will one day make us say, “Oh… now I see. Now I understand. Now it makes sense.”
So perhaps the holiest prayer we can offer this week is not one that insists, but one that makes room — the prayer that opens a door and lets God Spirit move. Try saying, “Here is what I want, Lord, and if you have something better in mind, teach my heart to desire that instead.”
God, who holds fire and water in his hands, holds a future for us that is larger than sight, deeper than sound, and more beautiful than anything our hearts have yet imagined. Sirach calls that “wisdom.” St. Paul calls it “holiness.” Jesus calls it “fulfillment.” We might simply call it grace — grace that redirects, transforms, and teaches us how to stretch out our hand and choose life.
The readings for Sunday, February 15, can be found at Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB.