Today’s reading from the Gospel comes from the Sermon on the Mount which is Jesus’ image of a true human being. It is sort of a basic plan for Christian life, an x-ray of the soul. In presenting his vision of what a true human being looks like, Jesus returns to God’s intention in the original creation: true communion between God and humans and true community between humans themselves. That was the purpose of the Law that God gave to Israel through Moses.
But rather than love, and live in communion, the Israelites (and of course all of us) wanted to limit their responsibility through legal and juridical considerations as to how much they had to love, how often they had to forgive, and who they had to forgive/love. Anger, judgements, grudges, vengeance, violence, insults, and slander became a common way of life for all.
And of course, their relationship with God was seen as being separate from their interpersonal relationships and what was perceived as justifiable anger and violence in those interpersonal relationships.
The Sermon on the Mount is revolutionary because it speaks to us of the most personal – our heart and soul. It is not based on an external minimal compliance with a set of rules. Sin, selfishness, and violence need to be eliminated from our hearts and souls – not just from some external acts. Plus, we see very clearly in today’s Gospel that there can be no division between our relationship with others and our relationship with God. Heart/soul, external acts/life, our interpersonal relationships, and our relationship with God are all tied together.
The truly Christian person has the mission to be a living sign of God’s love in the world. The Pharisees were considered the most religious and holy people in Israel. Their “holiness and righteousness” were based on a system of external rules. That is why Jesus calls us today to a deeper, more personal, radical righteousness – before God and before our neighbors.
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother
Image: https://scpeanutgallery.com/2015/02/27/morning-prayer-27-feb-ez-1821-28-mt-520-26-think-turn-live/