Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the fires of hell.” In today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 5:20-26), Jesus teaches us about sin and anger. More importantly, he teaches us that anger is a form of sin which can consume our heart. Jesus tells us that sin is more than an action, it is a will. Sin starts as a small seed in our soul; a small desire. If we let it, it will take root in our soul and grow. Anger is the same way. The Jews believed that only our actions could be sins and not our thoughts. One had to actually kill someone to have violated the commandment thou shall not kill. Jesus says that even if you think it, it is a sin. He tells us that anger is a form of murder. We must not allow evil thoughts to build within us. Eventually, these evil thoughts become evil actions. These evil thoughts become our will and our desire and consume our soul. Lent is all about abandoning these thoughts and purging them from our hearts. Jesus asks the important question, “How can you make just offerings to the Lord when you have hatred in your heart?” If someone has wronged you, you need to forgive them first so that wrong does not grow into resentment which separates you from Christ.

A Simple Prayer “Lord Jesus, help me remove the hatred from heart. Help me forgive those who have sinned against me. Allow me to be loving and compassionate to all.

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon