Word to the Wise
Friday, March 14, 2014 - 1st Week of Lent - Fri
[Ezek 18:21-28 and Matt 5:20-26]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!
Do you think our churches should be built with a special room for "unoffered gifts?" Should we stay away from going to Mass because we've just had an argument with someone that left both of us upset and frustrated? Not necessarily, but after Mass, we should try to heal the hurt! Jesus is pointing out the importance of forgiveness and saying that our worship is not isolated from the rest of our lives. We should not come to worship and proclaim our communion with God when our communion with our neighbor is in ruins! None of us, however, comes in a state of perfection! Pope Francis, in one of his first interviews, called the church a hospital in a battlefield!
At the beginning of each celebration of the Eucharist there is a "penitential rite!" I think too many celebrants rush through this and we do not really have time to "acknowledge our sins and ask God for forgiveness." I admit to adding the lines: "Ask pardon of God and one another." Our worship is part of our social fabric and not a separate world apart from the messiness of daily life. It is a challenge to make sure that we clean up all those "unoffered gifts" but in the long run our relationship to BOTH God and neighbor benefits in lasting ways! AMEN