Mt 5:20–26 (or Mt 10:7-13)
I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who murders will have to face trial. But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister is liable to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or sister “Fool!” is liable of being thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God. Don’t forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Other-wise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.
REFLECTION
The Lord showed that the force of the commandments depends on the disposition of the hearts. The commandment does not solely prohibit murder, but also acts related to murder. This is evident in prohibition of raca, hatred. The idea behind raca is “nitwit and brainless idiot.” It’s uttered as an insult to one’s intelligence and contempt of character.
“O the bliss of the man who is always angry at the right time, never angry at the wrong time … who has the humility to realize his own ignorance and his own weakness, for such a man is a king among men!” (Wm. Barclay)
Hates opposite is love. Love is inclusive and encompasses those within and outside the church. The Ad intra evangelization is “aimed at believers and cultures where the salt of the gospel had lost its tang … the mission is not only to New Guinea but to New York (T. Card. Dolan). There’s also the Ad Extra for those who “live in the world and are often marked, if not conditioned, by the cultural imagery that impresses contradictory and impelling models regarding the practical denial of God: there is no longer any need for God …” (Benedict XVI).
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