Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

 

Gospel Reading 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."

 

Today’s Gospel reading opens the true depth of the commandments. The scribes and Pharisees had distorted the true meaning of the Mosaic Law. According to Pharisees, unless I actually killed somebody, I did not violate the commandment.  It was purely a black and white law based on an outward actions.  But Jesus tells us that the Commandments go much deeper than “You shall not kill.” The early Jews went to great length to expand the Ten Commandments to the point that they became a set of rituals that they believed if you followed, you were guaranteed salvation. But Jesus tells us that we have to do much more than just follow the letter of the law, we must know and obey the spirit of the law. We must desire to be obedient to the law of God.  “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 corrupts our soul and poisons our righteousness. We must come to the altar with a pure heart and clean hands. How can you see the beauty and glory of God if your eyes are covered over in hatred and resentment. 

 

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. When you extend your hands, do you extend them 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 your will and not mine.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon