"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."
REFLECTION:
In today's Gospel, Our Lord tells us how God is most interested in our hearts. Not only is killing a sin, but also inordinate anger toward our neighbor.
Therefore, we should reflect on if we have resentment and anger in our hearts. This is a necessary preparation for holy communion: "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that our 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." Notice that Our Lord tells us to actively go to be reconciled with our neighbor. Let us always strive to sincerely from our hearts have a love for our neighbor.
Remember the prayer which Our Lord taught us: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us". If we forgive others and have charity for our neighbor, God will also forgive us.
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