Friday of the First Week of Lent
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Mt 5: 20-26
March 3, 2023 | Friday
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.
Today’s Reflection:
In today’s gospel, Jesus encourages us to live a radical way of living that surpasses the ways of the scribes and Pharisees. He reminds us that obedience to the commandments is vital and that the command “You shall not kill” will only live out to its core by first rooting out anger and the need to reconcile with those we have ill feelings before we’re allowed to give offerings at the altar. This gospel reminds us that a person only conforms one’s life to the Commandments of God by first loving one’s neighbor authentically seen through his actions and words. /Vulnerasti, 2023
