FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT
Be reconciled!
The Word: "So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
Mystery of the day: Sorrowful
Table of the Word: Table of the Word: I R.: Ezekiel 18:21-28
Resp. Psalm: Psalm 130:1-2.3-4. 5-7a.7bc-8 (R. 3)
Verse before the Gospel: Ezekiel 18:31
Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26
Inspiration: God is love and this attribute of His is unconditional as it transcends every race, culture and sex. He desires that all may come to Him at the fullness of time. Sadly, many some chose to be left behind. The first reading underscores this loving gesture of God, as He sent a message to us through Prophet Ezekiel, a message indicating a “second chance.” It is an invitation to make a U-turn even though we have gone far in the journey of sinfulness. He indicated that, in Him no time is late, provided one is ready and willing to return with a contrite of heart. As Prophet Ezekiel announced – Thus says the Lord God: “If a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” (Ezekiel 18:21)
Nevertheless, this reconciliation amidst our sinfulness borne out of the love He has for humanity as St. Paul says: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, now that we have been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life! But that is not all: we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus, through whom we have now been granted.” (Romans 5:10-11)
This reconciliation called to mind our readiness to derail from the wrong path we are treading and then take up that narrow path of reconciliation with God in our living experience with our brothers and sisters. It is plausible that sound Christian living is rooted in two dimensions: horizontal and vertical dimensions; that is one which pointed to God and the other with our fellow humans. That is why the gospel pericope emphasized on reconciling before offering, for we cannot claim to be at peace with God when we are carrying animosity against one another. The reconciliation here is reflected in the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), because keeping these Divine detects and ordinances keep us on the right track of reconciliation.
Finally, let us be conscious of the fact that God is loving, and thus desires us to be reconciled with Him in our relationship with others. He thought of this when He first created humanity, and even when Man must have lost the original grace, He still had man in mind by sending His only begotten Son to reconcile humanity with Divinity (cf. John 3:16). St. Paul while addressing the Colossians says: “Through Him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:20).
Beloved in Christ, as we continue our Lenten fast, let us be ever ready to make a U-turn to the right path using the sacrament of reconciliation so that our Christian witness may exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Peace be with you!
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
“Go to your confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity. For God, who has an infinite love for obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, but especially from those who are the guides of our souls.”
- St. Francis de Sales
Let us pray
Look with favour on us, O Lord that what our observances outwardly declares it may inwardly bring about. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
© The ARCHIVE 23022024
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