You have heard, that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone
who murders will have to face trial. But now, I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or
sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister is liable, to be brought
before the council. Whoever calls a brother or sister “Fool!” is liable, of being thrown into the
fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and you remember that your
brother has something against you, leave your gift there, in front of the altar; go at once, and
make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God. Don’t forget this:
be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise
he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail.
There, you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.
Reflect
“True righteousness.” We are, and we will always be, part of a greater reality. No matter how
we deny this fact, the impulse of our deepest self remains. This impulse urges us to relate well.
There are times when we tend to ignore the call toward having good relations even in the
expressions of our faith. There are times when we experience worshiping the Lord while at the
core of our hearts, we know that we are not on good terms with someone. The holy voice from
within us invites us to be a bit more astute in our sense of right and wrong, whispering our need
to be reconciled with others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus exhorts his disciples to surpass the
righteousness (dikaiosynē) of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. In the Gospel according
to Matthew, dikaiosynē is the process by which the disciples will become the children of the
heavenly Father. Righteousness is not merely a ritual that will substitute our failed duty to
relate well. True righteousness involves being reconciled with one another because the call
is to belong to God’s family – which is far bigger a reality than the self that merely performs
the religious rituals.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024