February 27, 2015

Read It:
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.

Reflect on It: I think today's gospel gives us a great challenge to reconcile ourselves to one another. If we have a grudge, we should go to the person whom we are upset with and seek reconciliation. We all have someone that it's hard for us to love. Is it worth it though? why are you mad? Today, go and seek their forgiveness and pray for them.

Pray about It: Lord, you teach us to forgive one another as you have forgiven us. Help me to see how you love the person who has most wronged me. Help me to see them with your eyes and your heart. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Pray for the person who has wronged you and then go and ask for forgiveness for holding a grudge.