First reading Ezekiel 18:21-28
Thus says the Lord God:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
says the Lord God.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
that he may live?
And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil,
the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does,
can he do this and still live?
None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,
because he has broken faith and committed sin;
because of this, he shall die.
You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!”
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed,
does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Responsorial Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-8
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
Let Israel wait for the Lord.
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
For with the Lord is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
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.”
____________________________________________
Words of anger and of reconciliation
Today, Jesus teaches us, as His disciples, to go beyond the law’s literal meaning to grasp its true essence. Taking the commandment not to kill, He leads us to understand that beyond the physical act of killing, there are other acts that can cause real, lasting harm to another. In the gospel, we see that words spoken in anger are judged severely. Insults and demeaning words can deeply wound the other, while untrue speculations spoken carelessly behind a person’s back can break or end relationships. Are we aware that our words of anger can cause such harm?
Let us take time in prayer to realise the moments when we may have hurt others, intentionally or unintentionally. Let us follow Jesus’ invitation to “go and be reconciled with” others. Instead of using our words in anger, we learn to speak words of reconciliation and forgiveness. When forgiving or asking for forgiveness seems to be beyond us, let us turn to Jesus for help. We ask for His love, strength and courage to persevere in our reconciliation efforts.
Reflective question:
Is there anyone Jesus invites me to be reconciled with?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
