Friday of the First Week of Lent
But if the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. Ezekiel 18:21-22
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. Matthew 5:23-24
Piety
Let us pray: God, as a plant turns toward the sun and the light, shine on us so that we may turn toward you. Jesus, as a traveler shakes the thorns and stickers from his clothes, help us to shed the sins which have stuck to our lives. Holy Spirit, as water refreshes life in the desert, bathe us in the love and justice of God that flows like a peaceful stream. Amen.
Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/021508.shtml
Make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of
There is a certain obvious message in today’s readings. If you turn away from sin, the Lord will save you. But also between the lines, you can hear the Lord asking, “What have you done for me lately?”
Our lifetime audit will not be a sum total of plusses and minuses like an investment bank statement. You earned positive points for these actions, negative points for these, interest on these, and therefore your balance is enough to get you admission to heaven. Heaven is NOT a retirement community that you can enter if you reach a certain age or if you save enough money.
Ezekiel and Matthew paint an entirely different picture. We want to apply our concept of balance and proportionality to life here and beyond. Jesus sets a different standard. He wants us to love unconditionally.
Matthew describes a love that cancels out debt. Not dollar-for-dollar but pennies-to-the-dollar. You can rack up huge debt (sin) in life, yet when you turn to love, all your “trespasses” are wiped clean. Love cancels out the evil we have done in life.
Jesus teaches us to place our gift on the altar and reconcile with our brother. He doesn’t ask us to justify our “claim.” He wants us to rid our heart of evil. Not justify it. Banish it. He asks us to forgive sins as he forgives ours. Once love is in our heart, then we can return and offer our sacrifice.
Action
Jesus doesn’t ask us to rationalize why we didn’t return our brother’s phone call or send our sister a birthday card or our mother flowers for Valentine’s Day. He asks us to love.
Where is your heart NOW?
Jesus asks us to shed our old ways and put on a new heart. What is something in your heart that you need to set down and move beyond?
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