THE WORD
Ez 18,21-28 / Mt 5,20-26
Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ 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 every Gehenna. “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gifts 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Archbishop Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana talked at our Provincial Chapter (Chicago) last year on the gift of the religious in the church and in society. Asked whether the religious could be considered “prophets,” he replied: “It will be up to the people to consider that. We cannot say that for ourselves. What we are asked to do is to be witnesses!” Archbishop Tobin’s remark was a timely reminder for all the baptized: we are God’s witnesses throughout the earth.
Before he ascended into heaven Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).
One can be a witness without being a prophet. One can have the spirit without having the truth. Whoever has both spirit and truth is not only a credible witness but also a prophet. Whoever walks the talk can be considered a credible witness and indeed a prophet. One whose righteousness (doing the will of God) surpasses that of the Pharisees will enter the kingdom of heaven.
During this Lenten season, let us think not only what we should not be doing but also of what we ought to be doing. It is easy to give up things as a form of sacrifice for Lent but the real sacrifice is what we actually do: forgive those who have wronged us, reach out to the needy, be more patient with loved ones especially the elderly and those with special needs. If we can do all this, we will indeed be credible witnesses of God’s kingdom and be also considered prophets. Let us pray for the courage to do what we should.
- Fr. Kaloi Macatangga, SVD | Toronto, Canada
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
