MAKE FRIENDS QUICKLY WITH YOUR ACCUSER…

Ezekiel 18:21-28 

21 “But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done he shall live.
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
24 But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does the same abominable things that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, he shall die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die.
27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life.28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Matthew 5:20-26 

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’
22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison;26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.

MEDITATION 

EZEKIEL THE PROPHET Makes the point that God takes no pleasure in seeing  the death of a sinner, wherefore He await and shall be pleased if the sinner repent; turn away from all his wicked ways, and recommit to live according to the holy statutes and commandments.

THE GOSPEL READING: Christ raised His expectations and the moral bar for His disciples, when He list behavioral expressions such as anger and insults which must be avoided, because it is equal to the act of murder. These acts must be avoided, because it denigrate and or demean the character of the one who would be on the receiving end of any ridicule or insults.

It cuts no ice whether we are blue-collar workers like the Pharisees or from the educated learned class such as the Scribes, if our behavior, words and actions seek to hurt, demean or impinge the character of another person. Should we be guilty of having committed such wayward acts, then our Eucharistic offering is of no consequence and futile to the extent that we cannot and should not partake of the Holy Eucharistic Lamb Supper, unless or untill we quickly restore and make friends and peace with our ‘enemies by repenting to Christ in the confesional, failing which we bring condemnation upon our soul!. Our Lord’s warning is also forward looking in that the compromised sinner will not enter heaven unless we are in a perfect state of grace.

LET US PRAY: Psalms 130:1-8 

1 A Song of Ascents.
Out of the depths I cry to thee, O LORD!
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If thou, O LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;6 my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption.8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.