The Commissioning of the Twelve

Today's Reflections 

      

Teaching about Anger

Mt 5:20-26

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ²⁰“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ ²²But 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 fiery Gehenna. ²³Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, ²⁴leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Settle 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. ²⁶Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

WHOEVER IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER. Jesus exhorts his disciples to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees by being consistent in their intentions and actions. Actions must come from the sincerity of one’s intentions. Jesus goes beyond externalities. Murder comes from the interior disposition of man, from anger that boils to hatred. Anger that is entertained in the heart is already like killing another person.

When anger leads one to call a brother “Raqa” (fool, empty-headed, good-for-nothing), this is already killing the brother in one’s heart. It is like wishing the person dead, and if this insult is taken to heart, the person loses his verve for life.

On the other hand, what wonders a simple smile, a word of thanks or appreciation, can do! It can energize a person for the whole day! And it does not entail a lot to give a loving and encouraging gesture to someone who may need it most!

Correction does much,

but encouragement does more.

Have you “killed” someone today by your insult?

Have you “given life” by your word of encouragement?