The Holy Gospel according to Matthew (5:20-26).
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: Today’s Gospel comes at the end of the first week of Lent. How has your Lenten journey been going so far? Today’s Gospel is a good reminder for us on how we as Jesus’ followers are called to a “higher standard” than others. We are called to living a righteous life that surpasses others. It is not enough to simply follow the commandments externally. Jesus is telling us that holiness is not just about external behavior. Holiness is about what is in our hearts.
Jesus takes us deeper into the commandment not to kill. He addressed the anger and hatred in our hearts and how those emotions must be avoided. Jesus teaches us that holding onto anger or speaking disrespectful words are just as damaging as physical harm. Furthermore, we cannot have one set of relationships with God, and another set of relationships with people. Before we bring our offerings and prayers to God, we must seek peace with one another. It is no use going to pray and make our offering to God if we have done harm to our brother or sister. I must leave my gift at the altar, and first go and be reconciled with my brother or sister.
Forgiving someone who has hurt us deeply is not easy, especially if we were hurt by a family member or close friend. But Jesus commands us to forgive and to reconcile with the person who hurt us. Jesus tells us that the degree to which we forgive one another is the degree to which our Father will forgive us. This is something we say when we pray the Our Father; “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The Lord is teaching us that our Christian identity is formed and shaped by our faith, relationship with God, how we live our lives and treat others.
Action for the Day: This Gospel challenges us to examine our hearts. Is there someone we need to forgive? Are we holding onto a grudge that we need to let go of? Pray for the grace to help you to forgive. The Eucharist we celebrate is a sacrament of unity and love, and not of division. May we come to it in the spirit of reconciliation.
Audio Reflection:
Thank you, Deacon Mike. God bless you and Martha.