A reading from 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.”
REFLECTION: "go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
Love never considers any task below it.
On our way to offer our hearts to God, if we realize we are not prepared to do so, we must stop and reconcile with our brother and then come and offer our gift.
The bread and wine are a symbol of our own lives, our sufferings, sickness, hardships, families and efforts. They are a gift not for us but a gift representative of the love we have for God. And in these very offerings, God offers Himself and becomes our food.
How can we then show up with a dirty gift?
Today, make a good confession and reconcile with someone you are alienated.
God Bless You
留言