February 15, 2026

6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time:   

A Root Treatment for the Soul

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” These words would have stunned Our Lord’s audience. The scribes and Pharisees were admired for their scrupulous observance of the Law and for their knowledge of Scripture and tradition. They would have asked, “Surpass their virtue? Isn’t Jesus asking the impossible?”
 
But Our Lord saw what his audience did not. While the scribes and Pharisees were outwardly righteous, their hearts were disconnected from the spirit of the Law. Their focus was on external appearances. They sought recognition and praise rather than humble service or true holiness. They were far from role models.  
 
Our Lord calls us to a higher, and yes, harder holiness. Harder because Our Lord would have us look within to what dwells within our heart. We might call it a “root treatment.” Outwardly we can present a beautiful portrayal but inwardly our heart can be a mess! Today Jesus mentions three areas that require a “root treatment.”
 
The first is anger. At times, I hear in confession, “Father, what do I do? I haven’t murdered anyone!” But it is not enough to refrain from murder. Much more common is the homicide of the heart…harboring thoughts of anger, hate and resentment. Displays of anger are endless and they show themselves in open and hidden ways: meanness, avoidance, the silent treatment, words that wound deeply, and making others feel worthless or unwelcome.  
 
Overcoming anger involves forgiving and that can be difficult. It means surrendering my grudges, the axes I have to grind, the scores I want to settle, and the feelings I enjoy of being superior to others who have wronged me.  
 
Our Lord then speaks of adultery. It is clearly a sin that begins within, with one’s eyes, within one’s heart. We call it lust. A man once said to the papal preacher, Cardinal Cantalamessa: “Since it’s true that all that God created is good, and the human body is a manifestation of divine beauty, it can’t be sinful for a man to gaze upon the beauty of a woman.” The Cardinal replied, “You are forgetting that God also created the beauty of the eyelid that closes.” Adultery also begins with disparaging marriage and deceiving a spouse long before it comes to the outright act of adultery.
 
Finally, the Lord, speaks of swearing. Here the Lord is referring to taking an oath. It would be a beautiful world if everyone spoke the truth from their heart, so that oaths would be unnecessary. But this is not the world we live in. Because we are capable of false witness, lying, slander, and more, oaths are necessary to induce people to keep their word. The Lord would have us speak clearly and truthfully…our yes meaning yes and our no meaning no.
 
Swearing is often confused with cursing and profanity. Cursing means to call down harm upon someone. Profanity is to treat something sacred with abuse or irreverence. that is vulgar or offensive. Words matter and the intention behind them matters. The Lord asks us to take the higher and harder road…and that means looking within the heart.