Unforgiveness is a sin! It is a poison which spreads. Anger and indignation towards those who irk or have hurt us will only fester and lead us away from the Lord our God. For He withholds His forgiveness, if we withhold our forgiveness of others. It is in our broken nature that we might sin against one another from time to time, but just as our loving Lord readily forgives our sins when we turn back to Him; we must readily forgive one another and seek reconciliation.
How can we say that we are following our Lord’s command to love one another if we refuse to forgive? If we do not see one another as fellow children of God our Heavenly Father. Perhaps we do not realise just how much God our Father loves us both individually and collectively? And that is why we act out and perhaps even fail to love ourselves as we should. How then can we love our brethren? We forget that we are made in the likeness and image of God and created Holy unto Him. Therefore to be Holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy we must be obedient to His Will for us.
Let all I do be Holy unto You my Lord and my God. In my waking or in my sleeping, in my words and in my deeds. Whether I am sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, doing the laundry or working in the office let all I do be Holy unto You. Whether at home, in church or in the street, let everything I say and do be Holy unto You. For I love You Lord and I know You love me. Amen
First reading
Ezekiel 18:21-28 ·
I prefer to see the wicked man renounce his wickedness and live
Thus says the Lord:
‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?
‘But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die. But you object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’
Gospel
Matthew 5:20-26
Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it
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. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’
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