Word to the Wise
Thursday, June 13, 2019 - Thursday in the 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Cor 3:15—4:1, 3-6 and Matt 5:20-26]"Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother or sister has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." [Matthew]
The gospel scripture for the next few days will be from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel According to Matthew. If one needed a basic catechism of the teachings of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount could serve very well for that purpose. It can be an uncomfortable experience reading those three chapters - five through seven - but it is also rewarding. Today's passage is no exception.
Jesus touches on the tension between worship and everyday conduct. He tells us not to come to worship with, as it were, unforgiveness in our lives. The sacrament of reconciliation did not exist at that time, and even in our own time, that sacrament settles our relationship with God, but we still have to be reconciled with our neighbor - our "brother or sister." I have sometimes wondered how big a warehouse one would have to build next to a church to hold the "unoffered gifts" representing folks who are unwilling to be reconciled with someone. It's a tough thought.
In parish missions and retreats I use an examination of conscience that touches on unforgiveness in the various relationships that we all have to God, self, parents, siblings, spouses, superiors, professional people, etc. The final lines address the one person who has hurt us the most - the one person we swore we would never forgive. I can tell you that this examination never fails to have an impact for good.
The Sermon on the Mount will continue to challenge us in the days ahead. Stay tuned! AMEN
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