Reading 1 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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8
R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
Let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
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.” (Matthew 5:22)
Let’s face it. It’s hard not to get angry—even with those who are closest to us! And yet here Jesus is, telling us to resist sin and turn away from anger. And as difficult as it sounds, it does make sense. After all, our eternal destiny is heaven, where we will live in peace and unity with each other and Almighty God.
But we don’t have to wait until the Second Coming for unity to prevail. We don’t have to resign ourselves to swallowing all our hostility, hoping that Jesus will keep on forgiving us. Although he certainly does forgive, that is not the central message of the gospel. No, the heart of the gospel message is that Jesus died to forgive our sins so that we could be transformed! In fact, he knows that we can keep his law of love only as we keep our eyes focused on him in prayer.
In today’s first reading, Ezekiel calls us to turn away from sin and live a life of holiness. This includes the command to put aside anger. It may seem as if Ezekiel expects us to do this solely by our own power, but that’s only if we look at this passage in isolation from the rest of Ezekiel’s prophecies. For later on, Ezekiel promises that God will put his own Holy Spirit in us to enable us to fulfill his commands—even the things that seem near impossible to us. As St. Athanasius taught: “God became man so that man could become God.”
In the Holy Spirit, we have all the grace we need to do away with sin. Every time we face temptation, every time we find anger pulling us in the wrong direction, our best defense is to turn this great promise into a prayer and statement of faith: “Jesus, you became a man so that I could become like you. I believe in your grace. Lord, I ask for your help right now.” This is how we can win the spiritual battle—by combining our efforts with trust in God’s power. Together, we really can become holy!
“Lord Jesus, the gift of your Holy Spirit is beyond all my expectations. Thank you for your marvelous grace! Help me, Lord, to love as you do.”
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