As it were, God allows us to be tempted in our resolve to do good and avoid evil. But our failures and sins should not lead us to despair and hopelessness. St. Augustine acknowledges human weakness but says that grace is stronger than sin. We can overcome temptations if we know how to pray and flee. We can overcome our hopelessness if we trust Divine Mercy. The message of St. Faustina Kowalska, who spread devotion to Divine Mercy, reminds us of this: to trust in God despite repeated failures. Thus, when temptation starts to grow, just let it go! The best way to stop a fire is to stop it while it is still small and low.

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches His disciples that righteousness must not be confined to mere observance of the law. True righteousness goes beyond fulfilling what is required by going the "extra mile." I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Here, He reminds us that we cannot use adherence to the law as an escape from true righteousness. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Though the religious leaders breathed a sigh of relief hearing this statement from Jesus, it did not keep them from sending spies to monitor Jesus' movements, activities, and teachings.

Jesus tells us the simplest and most basic description of what a Christian should be - i.e., the salt of the earth and a light of the world. We are called to make a difference in this world. To be like salt is to be of substance, and to be like light is to be of radiance, to give glory to God.

In the days of the prophet Zephaniah, around 700 BC, the Lord promised to care for the "remnants of Israel," the humble and lowly who seek refuge in Him.

Building on this promise, Jesus teaches the disciples who are truly blessed by revealing the Beatitudes, which provide the scriptural foundation of true and lasting peace. His message-"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"-reflects a central scriptural theme: God consistently favors the anawim, the poor, lowly, and humble. Contemporary discourse calls this God's preferential option for the poor.