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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.
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 ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, likened the soul to a charioteer whose task it was to drive two horses.
One horse was gentle and mild, obedient to the commands of the charioteer. The other was wild, untamed, and rebellious.
The name of the first horse was Reason. The second was Passion.
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Reason and passion live in constant conflict within us.
For example, if someone strikes us across the cheek, reason would say, “Take a deep breath. Back down. They may be stronger than you!”
Even, “forgive them.”
Passion would say, “Hit ‘em hard! Smack ‘em back!”
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It’s our passions that Jesus is addressing in today’s Gospel.
As Christians, we are called to more than just knowing or doing what is right; we must also be people of good will. That is a matter of the heart.
Meaning, it’s not enough to refrain from slapping a person; we should not even wish to hurt them.
It’s not enough to refrain from gossip; we should not even think poorly about another person.
It’s not enough to refrain from dishonesty; we should never consider telling a lie.
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Humanly speaking, such a high standard is impossible to reach; Reason and Passion constantly tug at our will.
The only charioteer who can tame them both is Jesus.
When he does, we can say the words of Saint Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me.”
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Image credits: (1) (2) Heather Dansie, Medium (3) Genesis Bible Fellowship Church