Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26
I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
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.
Reflection:
"Treating others with respect."
In the Scots tongue there is the word “eejit”. The Irish have something similar. It means “idiot,” and yet it can be said with affection. The same word can be used in humor or hatred, and this is the key difference when we read that those who say “fool” are “liable for hell fire.” It sounds very extreme, but it’s not so much to do with the word, as the attitude that lies behind it. If our hearts are filled with hatred, they are far from God. Jesus challenges us to have a keener sense of right and wrong than the religious Lawyers and Pharisees of his day. This sense of right and wrong is not simply about keeping moral rules, but about being at rights with God and with others. It’s about treating others with the respect they deserve as beloved children of God, even when they don’t treat us with equal respect. Do our words reflect our calling to goodness and righteousness. Are our words generous and constructive or filled with loathing and contempt? May our words and actions communicate peace, reconciliation and love.
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