By Michael Snyder, M.M.
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 15, 2026
Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37
When presiding at Mass, the priest mixes water with wine while enunciating these words: “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” While it is pronounced in a low voice, the priest is speaking on behalf of the whole community. Each of us is called to share in the divinity of Jesus, God, who humbled himself in becoming a human person. This is our vocation in life: to share in God’s divinity!
Our readings today emphasize this point, but God does not force us to do anything. We must make a choice. And, if we make that choice, our first reading, from Sirach, says: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live.” In our second reading, St. Paul tells us: “we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, and which none of the rulers of this age knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
This is our calling, our vocation, in life: to speak God’s wisdom.
But we can also make choices that are contrary to what God asks of us. There are so many temptations that confront us in life. We tend to prioritize taking care of ourselves, our families, and friends, but perhaps overlook the broader picture. My career spent serving in East Africa has helped me expand the meaning of sharing in God’s divinity. We are called to look beyond ourselves, beyond our families, beyond our local communities; we are called to look upon the whole world as our brothers and sisters.
In today’s Gospel, St. Matthew writes: “But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
I remember teaching about the Catholic faith to some elderly women in Tanzania. The national language is Swahili, but these grandmothers generally knew just their tribal language. So, they had difficulty grasping my Swahili lessons. But, then again, something struck a chord because as the waters of baptism flowed down their foreheads at the Easter Vigil, their faces glowed with joy. They began dancing and announcing this joy with the African sound of ululation. And their joy was felt by all in the packed church. For the next half hour, all joined the choir in song, and the sounds of ululation filled the church. Many danced in their pews, while others spilled into the aisles, dancing.
It was just one event in a rural setting on Easter in Tanzania. However, God’s Spirit was among all. Memories of that day and so many others like it have had a profound impact on my life.
We can each reflect upon the world today. We watch and read about it online, in newspapers, and on television. In our own country and throughout the world, we are challenged to create a better world where each person feels a responsibility to help those who are experiencing tribulation, displacement, and hardship. May we never shy away from thinking about what I, just one person, can do. Such thinking did not stop those elderly grandmothers in a church in Tanzania years ago. Such thinking did not stop St. Paul, who wrote: “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, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.”
Maryknoll Father Michael Snyder served as a missioner in Africa for 26 years and also as vocations director of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. He currently serves as the admission director at the Maryknoll Society Headquarters.
To read other Scripture reflections published by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, click here.
Featured image: Communion chalices for reception of Holy Communion by the faithful rest on the altar during Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Prescott, Arizona, Dec. 10, 2023. (OSV News/Bob Roller)
