Friday of the First Week of Lent
(Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:20-26)
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once wrote, “Death is not extinguishing the light; it
is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” In other words, death brings on a new
reality, a completely different way of living.
Jesus introduces such a new way of living for his disciples in today’s
gospel.
Much of the Torah or Law was meant to bring about justice. For example, Jesus in this passage cites the
law on murder. If one murders another,
he or she must be brought to justice. Jesus
makes clear, however, that such a standard does not meet the criteria of the
kingdom of his Father. His followers
must not only not kill one another, but they cannot let enmity among themselves
exist. He seems to have community
members in mind here. Yet a similar
standard will be applied to people of other communities, social strata, faith traditions,
races, etc. After all, he wants his
followers to love their neighbors as themselves.
Most of us are taught to stand out and be recognized. Our parents and teachers tell us to claim
what rightfully belongs to us. Jesus might
say, “Don’t worry about what belongs to you, give of yourselves to benefit your
neighbor.” We are to be reconciled with
all so that we may be identified with Jesus.
He is the one who reconciled the world to his Heavenly Father.
