Jesus' next teaching in Matthew (5:38-42) is about retaliation or vengeance and is often misquoted and misused. Jesus was not condoning "eye for eye, and tooth for tooth", he was condemning it. He was continuing to point out in his teachings that the 10 commandments were a minimum. "Thou shalt not kill" was to be interpreted broadly. Taking an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth might not kill someone but it would do grievous harm, and, therefore, should not be done. The urge to get back at someone is strong within us. The bigger the wrong done to us the more we want to retaliate. We want to make them hurt and suffer as much as we do. But Jesus said to let it go. Instead, do to others what you would want them to do to you. This maxim, he said, sums up the Law and the Prophets - the entire teaching of the Old Testament (Matthew 7:12). Is this easy to do? Is it natural? No, it is supernatural. We need God's grace to do it. For reflection: Who am I holding a grudge against today? Let us pray. "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Jesus, I need your grace to see the truth of this situation. I need your grace to see this person, who has hurt me so badly, as you do. Help me to see them through your eyes.
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We have been looking at Matthew 5:11-30 since March 5, the beginning of Lent. We have been using these verses as a protracted examination of conscience in preparation for Easter which is April 20 this year. The purpose of the examination of conscience is to confess our sins to God and be set free from all the things that hold us back from progressing in our relationship with Jesus. Jesus said that he came to set the captives free and I think we should take him up on that offer. With two weeks until Easter, let's look at what Jesus said about swearing (Matthew 5:33-37). Taking the Lord's name in vain, as we used to call it, has become so common that there is now an abbreviation for it: OMG. And you hear and see it everywhere. In fact, I saw it used in a novel I was reading and "God" was spelled "god". I'm not sure if that was better or worse. But this use of God's name has no relationship to praising God. For reflection: Has any kind of swearing slipped into my speech? Let us pray. "'I am ruined! for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.' "Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'" (Isaiah 6:5-8) We return to images and the effect they can have on us. Images are used to draw our attention, to lure us in to a story, to get us to buy something. There's a reason why beautiful people are posed in ads for cars and cigarettes. The advertising industry knows that sex sells. University researchers on memory have demonstrated that we are still affected days later after we have seen certain images even if we don't remember having seen the picture. Subconsciously we are influenced by what we have seen. Because of these studies on memory, I've wondered how responsible we are for what we do based on what we have seen. If a picture we don't even remember can influence a particular choice days later, was that choice made with free will? Or were we so influenced that free will did not apply? I don't know, but I do know that we have a choice about what we look at in the first place. We can avoid looking at advertising, internet sites and movies that lead us into sin through what is portrayed. Avoiding sin means not putting ourselves in a position to see things that lead our minds and bodies astray (see Matthew 5:27-30). For reflection: Where and when have I been deliberately looking at temptation? Where and when have I accidently been led into temptation? How can I avoid these? Let us pray. Jesus, I am guilty of looking at things I shouldn't. Renew a clean heart and a right spirit within me. Do not look on my sins or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Instead, grant me a willing spirit to help me. (based on Psalm 51) In the Newseum in Washington, DC there is a display of iconic news photographs from the last 50 years or so. They are gritty, black-and-white, moments forever frozen. Most are unforgettable and immediately take you back to the time and place where you first saw them. Your stomach clenches as war, famine and upheaval come roaring back into your mind. Along with the photos are a few words describing the time and place, plus a short biography of the photographer who won a prestigious award for the photograph. I was stunned by how many of these photographers had committed suicide. They were unable to get the images out of their heads. They could not help the people they immortalized. The war, or the famine, or the genocide were not their fault but they could not escape what they had seen and felt helpless to change. I mention this today because I want to bring out the power of images and the impact on our lives of what we see. It can be difficult to guard our eyes, being careful of what we see and let enter our minds. But it is necessary. Images are hard to forget whether they are in print, TV, movies or the internet. Where can images lead us? They can lead us to good or evil. Jesus knew this problem when he said, "(A)nyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28). Adultery and lust are old issues made worse today by visual images that leave little of the human body uncovered. So we must be careful about what we look at for we are responsible for what we do because of it. For reflection: What response do I make to news photos? Do I pray for the people involved? Send aid to the afflicted? What response do I make to other images in the media? Do they lead me to good or to evil? Let us pray. Today, Jesus, the people of Chile have suffered an earthquake. What response should I make? (My apologies, faithful readers, for not posting on Monday. I've been sick but I am recovering now. Thank you for your prayers.) One more reflection on settling our differences quickly from Matthew 5:25-26. Although these verses are about avoiding being thrown into debtor's prison, they follow along with what Jesus has been teaching. The previous verses (21-24) have been about having right relationships with others and therefore with God primarily by avoiding anger and hatred and not holding things against one another. I think one interpretation of the difference in the scenarios between 21-24 and 25-26 is the difference between subjective and objective wrong. Many of our arguments and disagreements with people are subjective. By this I mean that an outsider might have trouble discerning who is at fault, either because there is fault on both sides or because the two sides disagree on exactly what happened. These arguments drag on and on because each one thinks the other should apologize first. In 21-24, Jesus is saying, "Get over it. Be the bigger person and go apologize." In verses 25-26 there is a more objective wrong. One person borrowed a certain amount of money which is not in dispute. The borrower is objectively wrong for not repaying the money on time. Therefore the borrower should work things out before they come to a head or pay the consequences. The conclusion from these verses is, I think, that no matter whether you are in the wrong or not take the first step in working things out. It is more important to be at peace than to be right. If you are not at peace with others, you are not at peace with God. Returning to Matthew 5, looking at verses 23-24, Jesus puts a twist into what I would expect him to say. I expect him to say, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that you have something against your brother, go and be reconciled first." That would follow naturally from his previous statement, "anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." But that is not what he says. What Jesus says is, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). Did Jesus get confused about who was angry with whom? I don't think so. He was making his point from both sides. It doesn't matter if you are angry with your brother, or if your brother is angry with you; it must be dealt with quickly, now, immediately. Make all haste to deal with it. Don't let the sun go down another day. We can't approach the altar when we are angry with someone because our relationship with others reflects our relationship with God. As John says, (1 John 4:20), "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." For reflection: Before the sun goes down today, who can I set free from my teenage years? With whom am I angry? Who is angry with me? Let us pray. Jesus, the body of Christ is hurt, bruised, broken and some of the fault is mine. I have stepped on toes, twisted arms, knocked the knees out from under. I have broken hearts. I have left people handcuffed and tongue-tied. I have berated and belittled. Show me how to do my part to build up the body rather than tear it down. Paul picks up on the theme of anger in his letter to the Ephesians. He says, "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26-27). Paul doesn't say that we should not get angry but that we should deal with it right away. And Paul had reason to be angry. How many people tried to kill him? I assume he practiced what he preached and forgave his persecutors the same day. No small feat. The reason that Paul gives for letting go of our anger quickly and being forgiving is not the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (as Jesus cited) but that we are all members of the same body. The longer we wait, the harder it is to be rid of the anger, and the more damage we do to the body. Damage to one part of the body affects the entire body, including us, and the head of the body which is Christ Jesus. Letting our anger linger and not dealing with it quickly is sin against both God and man. For reflection: What anger and resentment is still lingering from my childhood? Let us pray. Jesus, I am guilty of letting my anger linger and fester, sometimes for years. Help me to get rid of all the old anger, resentment and unforgiveness in my life. Please bring to mind all those I need to forgive and set free. (After praying a prayer like this, pay attention to odd thoughts you have, people or incidents you haven't thought of in years, or dreams that you have about the past. God's speaks to us through these thoughts and dreams.) "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." In this way Jesus began to teach about his take on the commands of God (Matthew 5:21-22). Let us pray. Jesus, I have not killed anyone, but I have been angry for a long time with (name). S/he hurt me badly. I'm sorry for holding on to this so long, but without your grace I cannot forgive. Please give me your grace of forgivenes today Occasionally I post just a video for reflection. This is a song from the 1980s that I heard on the radio the other day and it's still going around in my mind. What are your answers to the questions? St. Patrick had a reputation for raising people from the dead. (This being St. Patrick's Day let's add him to the mix of our reflections on Matthew 5:14-16). He was known for his miracles. One of these was raising to life two children of the King of Dublin. The King and his subjects consequently became Christians. Patrick did not hide his light. No, he let his light shine for all to see and he wasn't afraid to step up and put God to the test about raising people from the dead. He was an ordinary person who ended up doing great things for God. For Reflection: Personally I don't know any Christians who have a reputation for raising people from the dead. Why not? Are people not still dying? Who are the people called to raise the dead? Where are they? Let us pray. Father, help us to let the light you have given us shine before all people that they may see the good deeds you enable us to do. Let us hold up our light, the light of Christ, like a beacon. Let us be the lighthouse. May we be the ones to raise the dead, heal the sick and bring many more people to know and love you. Give us some of the courage, faith and tenacity that Patrick had. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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