Matthew 5:20-26

Lectio (Reading)

Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.

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.”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.

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.

Oratio (Responding)

Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.

This is a high bar for most of us that are not saints yet. But we are all called to forgive without consideration of anything in return. Rhuminating on past slights only leads to anger, anger then leads to hate, and hate finally leads to suffering. Most people dont have the ability to deal with these emotions, and ultimately lash out with words or violence, which perpetuates the cycle. Jesus’ commandment here, short circuits this cycle by ending it before it even begins. Forgiveness, heals not only you but the one that is hurting you, and that is why it is the perfect answer to the problem of anger.

We have all had the experience where something that was making us angry, when we find out the source is an innocent mistake, that we are immediately not angry anymore. If it is so easy to not be angry in those situations why is it so much harder when it is intentionally done to us…? Yhe answer is that we choose it, whether it is pride, or injustice, or some other combination of sins, we choose to be angry, and respond according to that choice. It is not rational, or acceptable, but we must, with God’s help try to choose to forgive instead of being angry. This is not something we can do on our own, but with God’s help we can be better at it.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.

Please lord help me today to respond with love and forgiveness instead of reacting with anger.