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Gospel: 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 with him.
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The Church is widely known for making distinctions.
For example, there’s a difference between good and evil; an angel and an archangel; moral versus immoral; or a venial sin versus a mortal sin.
A venial sin might involve harboring a slight grudge in our heart towards someone who has hurt us; a mortal sin would involve intentionally acting on that anger – even to the point of murder.
While we are most likely not guilty of any mortal sin, we can commit venial sins often enough. The temptation is to brush them off, as if they are really not that big of a deal.
I’m angry at someone…. so what?
The Gospel tells us that that grudge IS a big deal, because no sin is permissible in heaven. “Whoever is angry with his brother,” Jesus says, “will be liable to judgment.”
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Do I judge others? Do I gossip? Do I ever lose my temper or harbor anger in my heart?
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Jesus wants to remove these burdens from our hearts, especially through confession. Doing so frees us to love.
This is, after all, the challenge of discipleship: to forgive without limits; to be the servant of servants; to love to a ridiculous level, just as Christ has loved us.
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Image credits: (1) Church of the Madalene (2) Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch (3) Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt