Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“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 hell of fire.”

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:20-26

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' 22 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 hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; 26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.

Today’s Gospel reading opens the depth of the commandments. The scribes and Pharisees had distorted the true meaning of the Mosaic Law. Jesus tells us that the Commandments go much deeper. The early Jews went to great length to expand the Ten Commandments to the point that they became a set of rituals and they believed that if you followed those rituals, you were guaranteed salvation. But Jesus says we have to do much more then follow the letter of the law, we must know and obey the spirit of the law. “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The commandment “Thou shall not kill” goes much deeper than just killing someone. It really says, thou shall not hate. Before one kills, one must hate. Therefore, the sin begins as hate and grows within us. Hatred is the real sin. Our hearts are the source of our sins, not our outward actions. Jesus asks them a simple question – “How can you come to the altar with hatred in heart? How can you make an offering when in your heart you do not love?” When we offer gifts to God, we offer them out of love. To truly love God, we must free our hearts of the hatred that poisons us. We must get rid of the anger, the insults and the rage that is within us. We must come to the altar with a clear heart. To release the anger within us, we must be willing to forgive and forget the actions which created the feelings. We must be willing to forgive our neighbors. If your heart is filled with anger, rage and hatred, ask the Holy Spirit to replace this hatred with love. If you want to see the kingdom of heaven, then you must learn to reach out in forgiveness. The kingdom of heaven is in your hands. Do you extend that hand in friendship and love or hatred and anger?

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I have anger in my heart; anger which has grown into hatred.

Help me release this anger and fill my heart with love and compassion.

It is through your example that I will learn to love my neighbor.

Give me the wisdom to see you will and not mine.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon