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 with him. 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.” (Matthew 5:20-26)
This Gospel reading stresses reconciliation; that is, whether brother (or sister) or an opponent can settle differences and rid themselves of anger. It is not foolish to reconcile. It’s the key to the Kingdom of heaven and just as important, to the “kingdoms” of earth. These are communities, nations, and even races. Not to reconcile is to further division and weaken the kingdoms opening them to destruction from within and without.
Peaceful protests highlight the need for reconciliation by seeking justice. Justice is what is now being sought by those outraged by Minneapolis police who violated the commandment: “You shall not kill.” Four officers accused of murdering George Floyd have been handed over to guards and are now liable to judgement in the court.
Anger is understandable especially during this election year experiencing the coronavirus, widespread unemployment, and now, the killing of Mr. Floyd. We cannot let anger control us and usurp our faith in Jesus Christ, our best leader to follow in times of crisis.
Deacon David Pierce
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