Reading I
Ez 18:21-28
Thus says the Lord GOD:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
says the Lord GOD.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
that he may live?
And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil,
the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does,
can he do this and still live?
None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,
because he has broken faith and committed sin;
because of this, he shall die.
You say, “The LORD’s way is not fair!”
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed,
does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Gospel
Mt 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.”
Meditation: Matthew 5:20-26
Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment … and whoever says, “You fool” will be liable to fiery Gehenna. (Matthew 5: 22)
These are tough words. But their severity only serves to highlight how deeply God wants to see all of his children live together in love and respect and honor. For Jesus, unity is one of the highest of virtues—one of the most important principles of life.
Have you ever been angry? Do you remember when your mother or father was angry? What happened to the rest of the household? It probably brought the whole family down as everyone else became angry and impatient. If this is the pervasive climate in the home, it is only natural to expect alienation and isolation to flourish.
Being a disciple of Jesus is about being like Jesus, who always made it a point to look past other people’s shortcomings. Jesus looked into their hearts and met them there. And because he saw their hearts—their desires, needs, hurts, dreams, and hopes, he was able to connect with many of them and bring them to God. His opponents, on the other hand, tended to look only at people’s faults, which did nothing more than create barriers between them and God.
It is vital that we seek unity. We need to forgive. We need to let go of anger. We don’t have to pretend that we weren’t hurt or that the other person wasn’t wrong. We just have to decide to take our hurt to God and to try our best to forgive. God will change our hearts, even if we can’t.
St. John of the Cross once said that at the evening of our lives, we will be judged on love. Think how incredible that is. We will not be judged on how much money we gave, how many prayer meetings we attended, or how much work we did on the church gardens—but by how much we loved. And that’s something we can all do with God’s help!
“Heavenly Father, pour your grace and mercy on me today. Help me to have a positive influence on my family and friends. Jesus, I want to give you all of my hurts and resentments, to feel your healing, and to show others the deep love that you have shown me.”
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