How deep is our love?
Read
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire.
matthew 5:2-23
Reflect
What starts a war between nations? Territorial disagreements? A government grabbing what doesn’t belong to them, or taking back what has been stolen? An unjust angry aggressor in power? Cultural and religious intolerance? Insecurity or jealousy? Greed for power as a leader pushes their weight around on the world stage? The list goes on. And yet all these emotions and motives are present or possible in the heart of each of us. We can be angry, jealous, greedy, ready to retaliate when we are wronged, can be intolerant and cynical, scared and insecure.
Jesus repeats the roll call of the commandments of ‘You must not kill” but he strips this command right back to the bare human emotion of anger. He is calling us to have a deeper sense of self awareness, to recognise the actions in our own lives that have the propensity to cause damage and destruction and to be alert to how a situation can easily escalate.
Whilst war takes place on the world stage, there are battlefields within our own hearts, and often fractures in our relationships with others. Reconciliation is often a difficult and painful path. Depending on how deeply we have hurt or been hurt, the process can take time, and always demands a true acknowledgement of how we and others are feeling. God’s Kingdom is built on Love, and there is no end to what his love can do.
Pray
God our Father, help us to be alert to our feelings and emotions, and to be sensitive to the feeling of others, to show sorrow for our sins, and to forgive when we are wronged. Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.
