The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine the role of our individual responsibility to be examples of faith, hope, and love in our community and ambassadors of Christ.
The Reading from the Prophet Ezekiel examines Personal Responsibility across Generations.
* [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 emphasizes individual responsibility and accountability. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 130 cries to God asking for mercy.
* [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). (Psalms, PSALM 130 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus extends the Teaching About Anger.
* [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.
* [5:22] Anger is the motive behind murder, as the insulting epithets are steps that may lead to it. They, as well as the deed, are all forbidden. Raqa: an Aramaic word rēqā’ or rēqâ probably meaning “imbecile,” “blockhead,” a term of abuse. The ascending order of punishment, judgment (by a local council?), trial before the Sanhedrin, condemnation to Gehenna, points to a higher degree of seriousness in each of the offenses. Sanhedrin: the highest judicial body of Judaism. Gehenna: in Hebrew gê-hinnōm, “Valley of Hinnom,” or gê ben-hinnōm, “Valley of the son of Hinnom,” southwest of Jerusalem, the center of an idolatrous cult during the monarchy in which children were offered in sacrifice (see 2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31). In Jos 18:16 (Septuagint, Codex Vaticanus) the Hebrew is transliterated into Greek as gaienna, which appears in the New Testament as geenna. The concept of punishment of sinners by fire either after death or after the final judgment is found in Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., Enoch 90:26) but the name geenna is first given to the place of punishment in the New Testament. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock asks “How can I ever live up to what Jesus is asking of us?”
I ask myself do I have a grudge, an unwillingness to forgive? Do I harbor anger or resentment? Have my actions caused someone to feel this way toward me? Sure, sometimes how others feel is beyond my control, but if I can, I will approach anyone such as this with love, reconciliation, and prayer. Let them free up their soul space to allow Love to come in. Then you find you have freed up a bit of space in your own heart as well. Then you both enter the Kingdom. (Braddock, n.d.)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon and addressed the justice of God about evil and punishment and the consequences of turning from from good to evil. We don’t build up credits with God, who is just in His treatment of all people. The Pharisees wanted to widely interpret the Laws scrupulously but Jesus extends the Law in a spiritual way. How do we kill life and hope? We need to treat all with sacred dignity. The Gospel refers to the Temple dump as a kind of place of symbol for Hell. Friar Jude underlines that Jesus' teaching requires us to treat all with the respect we treat the Tabernacle that contains the Presence just like all people who are children of God.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26 notes that we offer to the Lord, not animals or grain, but our own lives. Jesus gathers these offerings and unites them to the sacrifice of his own Body and Blood as one offering to his Father. What if we were to offer Jesus our repentance for hurting someone—and our willingness to humbly reconcile with them? What if we offered our forgiveness of the people who have hurt us? Those would be precious gifts indeed!
Today ask the Spirit to show you if you are harboring resentment against anyone. If so, ask for the grace to forgive. If the offense is too big or your emotions are too strong, then offer your pain to the Lord. Try your best to surrender it into his hands and ask him to help you take the next step toward forgiveness. And if you have offended someone, try to apologize and reconcile with that person. Then, the next time you are at Mass, offer these “gifts” to Jesus. Come to the altar to receive the greatest gift of all—the Body and Blood of your Savior!
“Jesus, I offer you my heart of mercy!” (Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26, n.d.)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us to take a journey of faith. It may be plagued by uncertainty, but we can trust in God’s presence along the way. We want certitude, but instead God asks us to have faith.
Our faith and our trust, then, are in God—not in our own cleverness, strategies, or planning, not in our status or money. In the desert, all our idols are taken away from us and our security is gone. The desert, the darkness, is the school of surrender, the place for learning total dependence on God. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ask the Spirit for guidance and consolation as we accept the invitation of God to explore our lives with the desert mentality that focuses our attention on our dependence on the Presence of God.
References
Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-27-2026
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/18?21
Matthew, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?20
Meditation on Matthew 5:20-26. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/27/1509541/
Psalms, PSALM 130 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/130?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). How Do We Reach the Promised Land? Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/how-do-we-reach-the-promised-land/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Be Angry, Be Reconciled. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 27, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
No comments:
Post a Comment