Thursday 13th
June, 2019. 2
Corinthians 3:15-4:1.3-6, Psalm 85 and Matthew 5:20-26
_*“So when you are offering your gift at the altar
and you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave
your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or
sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5, 23 to 24)*_
Today’s Gospel begins with
Jesus exhorting us to practice a kind of righteousness that is beyond average; a righteousness that exceeds that of the hypocrites (notice-me-spirit); a
righteousness that is maintains the same standards both in public and in
secret. Jesus also warns that if our righteousness is not above average, there
is no way we can enter the kingdom of God.
Among Christians today,
there is a lot of deception and two-faced manner of life. We all come to Church
smiling but no sooner had we dropped our Church attires, we begin to live as
though God no longer sees us. There is a spirit of minimalism when it comes to
practising our Christian virtues or taking on spiritual exercises. Too often,
you hear phrases like: _“After all, no be me kill Jesus jare!”_ And when we
come across persons who are actually pulling their weight and making frantic
efforts to practice the kind of righteousness Jesus recommends, we just make
them a laughing stock.
If you want to be a
Christian at all, then be the best. Avoid minimalism! You may think you are doing
well but how painful it would be to end up in hell because of these so called “little-little
sins” you allow and condone!
One of the elements of this
extraordinary righteousness Jesus wants us to practice is radical forgiveness.
The true worth of anyone’s Christianity can be tested in the fire of his/her ability
to forgive and forget and reconcile. Before you boast about your holiness, ask
yourself this question: “To what extent can I forgive?”
Honestly, forgiveness is a
difficult topic. Today, Jesus is teaching us that if we are about to offer a
gift to God and remember that someone has something against us, we should first
reconcile before rendering our gift to God. Jesus is actually teaching us to
consider forgiveness as a form of offertory in itself.
In truth, forgiving and
reconciling with others is a painful thing to do; more painful if the person
refuses to admit his/her fault or if the person is unwilling to cooperate in
your move at reconciliation. Nevertheless, consider this pain as something
rendered to God for as John says, we cannot claim to love God (whom we have not
seen) if our hearts are full of hatred for our fellow brothers and sisters who
we see daily. (1st John 3:20).
Is someone owing you some
money and is refusing to pay back? Average righteousness demands that
you fight the person so hard and demand a pound of flesh but the
righteousness Jesus is preaching demands that you forget the money and
consider it as something rendered to God.
Finally, today we remember
St. Anthony of Padua. He is an example of a saint who did not subscribe to
minimalism as far as his Christian faith was concerned. Born to a wealthy
family, he renounced all he entered and entered the monastery. He spent most of
this life spreading the Gospel to different nations. St. Anthony of Padua was
only 36-years-old when he died and was canonized less than one year afterward
by Pope Gregory IX. Upon exhumation some 336 years after his death, his body
was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect
were the teachings that had been formed upon it. He is typically depicted with
a book and the Infant Child Jesus and is commonly referred to today as the
"finder of lost articles."
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give
me the grace to offer a sacrifice of forgiveness. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 10th
Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 2 Corinthians 3:15-4:1.3-6, Psalm 85 and Matthew
5:20-26).
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