Theme: More Than Rules – A Changed HeartMost of us learned the commandments as children. We learned what to do and what not to do. For many years, faith can feel like staying within the lines. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not harm. And many people here have lived decent, disciplined lives. You have tried to do what is right.Yet there comes a stage in life when the questions grow quieter and deeper. It is no longer, “Have I broken a rule?” but, “What is happening in my heart?”That is where Jesus brings us today. In the Gospel, He takes the commandments and opens them up. It is not enough to avoid murder; anger must be faced. It is not enough to avoid adultery; the heart must be guarded. It is not enough to speak carefully; truth must live within us.Jesus is not tightening the rules. He is revealing their purpose. The law was never meant to produce fear. It was meant to shape a heart capable of love.Sirach, in the first reading, tells us that God places before us life and death, fire and water. We are free to choose. God respects our freedom. But freedom is not simply about behaviour; it is about direction. Which way is the heart turning?As we move toward Ash Wednesday this week, the Church gently invites us to look inward. Lent is not about appearing religious. It is about reconciliation. It is about letting go of old resentments, softening harsh judgments, healing quiet bitterness.Many of you have lived honourably for decades. Yet the Gospel still speaks. There is always room for the heart to grow gentler, truer, more at peace.Saint Augustine once said, “The law was given that grace might be sought; grace was given that the law might be fulfilled.” The Christian life is not rule-keeping alone. It is transformation.As we approach this Eucharist, let us ask for that grace. Not simply to stay within the lines, but to allow Christ to reshape us from within. Because when the heart changes, everything changes.Fr. Charles Ijeoma Egbon