The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to attend to the prompting of the Spirit to live with more compassion, mercy and love in our relationships with others.
Reconcile for Life
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel highlights our personal responsibility in living well.
* [18:25] The LORD’s way is not fair: this chapter rejects the idea that punishment is transferred from one generation to the next and emphasises individual responsibility and accountability.1
Psalm 130 is a prayer about waiting for Divine Redemption.
* [Psalm 130] This lament, a Penitential Psalm, is the De profundis used in liturgical prayers for the faithful departed. In deep sorrow the psalmist cries to God (Ps 130:1–2), asking for mercy (Ps 130:3–4). The psalmist’s trust (Ps 130:5–6) becomes a model for the people (Ps 130:7–8).2
The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus' teaching concerning anger from the Sermon on the Mount.
* [5:22–26] Reconciliation with an offended brother is urged in the admonition of Mt 5:23–24 and the parable of Mt 5:25–26 (//Lk 12:58–59). The severity of the judge in the parable is a warning of the fate of unrepentant sinners in the coming judgment by God.3
Rev. Richard Gabuzda asks if burden and a heavier load than that carried by the scribes and Pharisees is all that we are left with? The more asked is in service of the more to be received. To enter the kingdom of heaven, that is, the kingdom of God, is to be drawn into the greater life that Jesus promises. “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” It is a life in union with Jesus himself. The greater righteousness leads to a greater life, here and hereafter.
And so, our Lenten journey is about “the more.” Where is the Lord inviting me to more? To take a closer look at attitudes and behaviors that, as I ignore them, keep me further from the joy and fullness of the kingdom, from deeper life with Jesus. The call from Jesus in these 40 days is a call to receive again, to receive in a new and deeper way, more of the life that he promises, “life and life to the full.”4
Don Schwager quotes “Are you ashamed to ask pardon?” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"How many there are who know that they have sinned against their brothers or sisters and yet are unwilling to say: 'Forgive me.' They were not ashamed to sin, but they are ashamed to ask pardon. They were not ashamed of their evil act, but they blush where humility is concerned." (excerpt from Sermon 211,4)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezekiel 18:21-28 comments that we are centuries removed from the people of Ezekiel’s day, but our experience tracks with theirs. Our sins can separate us from God and place us in a kind of spiritual exile. Even so, God extends to us the same offer of grace and restoration: you will surely live. This is God’s promise to us any and every time that we turn away from sin and follow him in obedience. It’s a promise of peace and security. It’s an open door to new hope and freedom. Above all, it’s an invitation to live with the Lord forever.
Lent is the perfect time to take the Lord up on this invitation. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you can turn away from sin, do what is right, and return to God. Don’t worry if you haven’t been to Confession in a while. Begin by examining your conscience, perhaps using the questions on the inside cover of this magazine. Allow the Spirit to gently show you any ways in which you have disobeyed the Lord. Then bring them to God in this sacrament. His promise is for you: if you turn away from sin and walk in his ways, you shall surely live. “Lord, thank you for your mercy.”6
Friar Jude Winkler asserts that our relationship to God is not to a Divine Accountant. The extension of the Law against killing to gossip, reputation destruction, and care for life is contrasted with the scrupulosity of the Pharisees. Friar Jude reminds us that Purgatory is not punishment but is purification.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Diana Butler Bass who writes of the diversity of Christianity’s spiritual movements
No historian can even guess how many small movements of individuals or congregations have existed in the past, movements made up of those who experienced God in new ways that remade their lives and communities without much notice or credit. Some movements lasted only a short time and were local events; others lasted decades or centuries and spread throughout Christendom. Such things are part of the long historical process of renewing faith. How would any religious tradition stay alive over hundreds or thousands of years if not for the questions of discontent and the creativity brought forth by longing? [1]7
and Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, who writes of his hope for the continued movement of the Church towards greater love and inclusion.
We are always hopeful that the Church will see its Copernican Moment, when it decides that its center is not located in Europe, in white males, in mandatory celibacy. We all hope against hope that it will become the “wonderful adventure” that Pope Francis envisions. Church as movement and not decorative institution. The gospel always wants to dislodge itself from the places where it gets stuck and embedded in the narrow, cultural structure. So, we all take steps to free it, find our way, again and again, to an expansive tolerance and a high reverence for paradox. We need to allow the Church to become a movement again. Jesus says if you’re not gathering, you’re scattering [see Matthew 12:30]. We either pull people in or push people out. We attract in the same way Jesus did.7
The fullness of life to which we are invited by Jesus requires us to reconcile and repent as revealed by the Spirit as we continue our journey.
References
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