Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Disciples Are Reconcilers
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Elijah prayed, and the rains came. Faith can move mountains. The believer draws on his faith to do what seems impossible. If he trusts God, he becomes strong with God’s power. This is the impact and intent of the “fioretti” of Elijah. But the theological ground of it is solid: God does not abandon those who trust in him and gives them a strength beyond their human potential.
Gospel. In the gospel, Christ tells us that our practice of love should go farther than that of the Scribes and Pharisees. All laws and the whole discipleship are based on love and creating a climate of love in which Christians not only do not kill in acts of violence but also do not damage relationships in words and thoughts. Love at its deepest is shown in forgiveness without conditions, even if the one wronged is the other person! That’s not easy at all!
Opening Prayer
Our God of love,
permeate us so deeply with the mentality
of the good news of your Son, Jesus Christ
that in us there remains no room
for violence, hatred, or looking down on others.
Help us to create among us
an atmosphere of trust and deep love
that we give first place to the needs of others
and forget ourselves for their sakes
Let there be among us forgiveness without regret
as was taught to us by Christ our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong isn’t sharper than that of the lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Regarding Offense
You have heard that it was said to our ancestors: Do not murder; anyone who murders will face judgment.
But now I tell you: anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will face judgment. Anyone who insults a brother or sister is in danger of being brought before the council. And anyone who calls a brother or sister “Fool!” is in danger of being thrown into the fiery Gehenna.
So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your gift there in front of the altar; go at once and make peace with your brother, then come back and offer your gift to God.
Don’t forget this: reconcile with your opponent quickly when you’re together on the way to court. Otherwise, he will turn you over to the judge, who will send you to the police, and you’ll be put in jail.
There you will stay until you’ve paid the last penny.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For all of us, that we may never put the law above people but practice first the great commandment of loving one another, we pray:
– For those who feel hurt by others, that they may learn the difficult lesson of forgiving wholeheartedly, we pray:
– For our communities, that we may seek God’s will together, accept one another, respect each other’s freedom and bear witness to God’s kindness, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
Here are our gifts of bread and wine.
Let there be peace among us,
even if, rightly or wrongly, someone has something against us.
Even if it is very hard,
We want to seek reconciliation with one another
for the sake of him who has brought us
reconciliation with you at the cost of his life,
Jesus Christ, our Lord forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
let our communities be
places of deep love and friendship
and unlimited reconciliation.
For we have listed and accepted the word of your Son
and we have celebrated his sacrifice
for the forgiveness of sins
of the new and everlasting covenant.
May we also celebrate in everyday life
The reconciliation you sent us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Remember always these words of Jesus today, to insist that we should be reconcilers: “When you are offering your gifts at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first, be reconciled to your brother or sister and then come and offer your gift.” May Almighty God give you this Christian sense and bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 5:20-26
Be reconciled
Today’s Gospel offers practical guidelines for fraternal love. This fraternal love and relationship with a brother/sister cannot be separated from our relationship with God. As far as the Scribes and Pharisees were concerned, the only way to relate with God consisted in the most scrupulous observance of every detail of the Mosaic Law. They taught the people that the more perfect the observance of the letter of the Law, the better the chances of being close to God.
We find similar attitudes among many in our Church communities today. Many are very anxious to know whether a particular action “is a sin” or not. For example, many worry and want to know if eating meat on Fridays of Lent is a sin. But such an approach leads only to fear of God’s punishments. Thus, God becomes a menacing shadow ready to strike at our slightest wrongdoing.
This passage comes from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus contrasts the demands of the Law with those of the Gospel. For example, the commandment not to kill implies even hatred and anger, often expressed by abusive language. A physical killing is only an outward expression of the killing that one has already committed in his heart. How often do we piously go to Mass when we have deeply hurt another person? We cannot have one set of relationships with God and another set with people.
When anger builds, one commits more serious mistakes. The Word of God reminds us not to come before the Lord in worship until we are at peace with one another. How can we share in the Body and Blood of the Lord if we are at enmity with a brother or sister who is also a member of that same Body?
The Whole eucharistic celebration is a moment of reconciliation. We begin the Mass, asking forgiveness from God and the people of God. Before the offertory, we are reminded to get reconciled with one another before we make the offering. While preparing to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we repeat the Lord’s prayer, promising the Lord that we have forgiven our offenders. And we make the sign of peace with those around us to express our forgiveness and reconciliation with everyone.
But the question is if this sign of peace has become an empty gesture, like a nod of the head, with very little meaning and, for the most part, made to someone we do not even know. Let us put the meaning back into the ritual and be reconciled with one another.