This is a re-post of an entry I made on my own blog, but updated for Giao Ly:
23Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,p 24leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
In this week’s gospel, Jesus shares great insight into the Ten Commandments, especially around Anger, Love, and Marriage. What really struck me about this reading is that even in the midst of reviewing the commandments, Jesus reminds us of something of great importance: making right our relationships.
I was reflecting on the reading, and the word “reconcile” really jumped out at me. Even as Jesus was recounting God’s law and commandments, Jesus asks us to take a time-out, and make our relationships right, between others, first. There is great wisdom in that — it forces us to be true to those around us and to ourselves. That way, my gifts offered to God can be pure and true.
Make clean my heart, o Lord!
It reminds me so much about how I can struggle in my relationships each and every day, and those feelings can change (even slightly) the motives in why I do things. There may be someone I am envious of, or maybe someone who has upset me and I took a passive-aggressive way to deal with it. Or maybe someone who really hurt me and I am tempted in being emotionally vengeful.
It’s really important to make that relationship right, again. As catechists, assistant catechists, and volunteers, we often struggle with each other, too. It may be that we were hurt with a passing comment, some feedback we received, or we’ve been feeling uneasy for a few weeks. It could have come from a friend, a fellow catechist, a volunteer, even.
Let Jesus remind us to focus on our relationships, first, and the rest of Giao Ly will follow.
Thank you for the reflection Minh Quan. Very insightful.