Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
(II Corinthians 3:15-4:1.3-6; Matthew 5:20-26)
David Hume, a Scottish eighteenth century thinker, started a
radical trend in philosophy. He doubted
all knowledge except the most elementary truisms like “all balls are
round.” He also denied religious
knowledge as having no basis in experience.
In today’s first reading St. Paul seems to face similar doubters and
deniers seventeen centuries earlier.
Paul describes skeptics of Christianity as having veils over
their eyes. He sees them as blind to the
truth of the gospel. If they could lift
the veil – Paul would conclude – they could not help but give assent. Perhaps the gospel illustrates this assertion
as well as any passage from Scripture.
Jesus is demanding his followers to reconcile themselves with those who
have caused them difficulty. Such effort
makes Christians children of God and brothers and sisters to all. It is the best way to live and, when the time
comes, to die.
A wise person once said that to hold a grudge is like
drinking poison and waiting for your enemy to die. We do better in this world and get a foothold
in the next by reconciling with those who offend us.
