Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta biết là nếu chúng ta là những người theo Chúa Giêsu, thì chúng ta cũng chưa chắc đã thực hành theo đúng như các điều luật viết trong sách luật của ông Môisen. Chúa Giêsu đã cảnh báo các môn đệ là những sự độc ác có thể gây ra do lòng tức giận Ngài khuyến khích họ nên tìm kiếm sự hòa giải với tất cả những ai mà chúng ta đã làm điều gì sai trái với họ hoặc những ai mà đã làm điều sai trái với chúng ta. Sự tức giận có thể gây ra tổn hại về sức khỏe và tinh thần của chúng ta. Chúng ta không nên cầm giữ, dồn nén bất cứ một sự oán giận nào trong lòng của chúng ta và tất cả những chuyện cũ đầy cay đắng không khoan dung trong tâm hồn của chúng ta. Chúa Giêsu đã dạy rõ ràng là chúng ta không nên sử dụng những từ ngữ, (kiểu chơi chữ) để gây hại, làm tổn thất tinh thần cho những người khác.
Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta biết là điều kiện cần thiết để đến với Ngài là chúng ta cần phải biết hòa thuận và kính trọng với mọi người chung quanh cho dù họ là bất cứ hạng nười nào. Nếu chúng ta nuôi dưỡng sự oán giận với người khác trong lòng thì chúng ta không xứng đáng để tiến tới gần bàn thờ của Thiên Chúa.
Bổn phận đầu tiên của chúng ta là phải cố gắng hết sức để hòa giải với những người mà chúng ta đã làm họ mất lòng hay những người đã làm mất lòng chúng ta trước khi chúng ta bước đến trước bàn thờ để dâng lễ hay cầu nguyện. Và chỉ có được thế, thì chúng ta mới sẵn sàng được tâm hồn và xứng đáng dâng vật lễ của chúng ta lên Thiên Chúa một cách đẹp lòng Ngài. Và đấy là những gì có thể giúp chúng ta tìm thấy sự an bình trong ân sủng của Thiên Chúa.
Qua bài Tin Mừng hôm nay Chúa muồn chúng ta hãy nhìn vào chính cuộc sống của chúng ta và thử xem coi chúng ta đã sống và giữ những điều mà Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã dạy. Chúng ta có ý thức và cư xử với mọi người trong tình thần hoà giải, thân thiện trong hoà bình? Hãy tự xét coi: chúng ta có cần phải xin lỗi ai đó trong cuộc sống của chúng ta? chúng ta đã có sự tha thứ cho người có lỗi với chính mình? Chúng ta có tìm kiếm hòa giải, cho dù chúng ta chỉ là một trong những nạn nhận bị người khác xúc phạm?
Xin cho lời của Chúa trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, trở thành một cái nhiệt kế tình yêu hàng ngày của chúng ta đối với Thiên Chúa và đối với anh chị chung quanh chúng ta.
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
This statement would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. At that time, the scribes and Pharisees were well-known for their meticulous observance of the Law of Moses, attending scrupulously to even the smallest details. They prided themselves on their strict adherence and often made their “righteousness” highly visible, earning them great respect among the people as models of holiness and fidelity to the covenant. However, their fidelity was often purely external, lacking the interior disposition of love and worship of God, which is the heart of the covenant. For this reason, Jesus spoke bluntly to the people, even in the presence of the scribes and Pharisees, declaring that their level of righteousness was insufficient to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Imagine the humiliation felt by these religious leaders. Jesus’ words would have stung deeply, confronting them with the inadequacy of their righteousness. Such a confrontation can lead to one of two responses: Either the sting of humiliation fosters the virtue of humility, repentance, and conversion, or it magnifies pride, leading to anger and rejection. While some of the scribes and Pharisees might have chosen the path of humility and repentance, the majority likely did not.
Jesus followed up this statement with a teaching on anger and how it can move from an interior disposition to severe hatred. While that teaching is important, it is also useful to pause and place ourselves in the shoes of the scribes and Pharisees, pondering how we would have reacted if we were them. Many of them had spent their whole lives studying the Law, following it, and teaching others to do the same. When Jesus came along, He essentially told them that much of what they had been doing was worthless and fruitless because they were not following the will of God. Place yourself in their shoes.
Consider your ability—or inability—to endure the humiliation that those religious leaders felt. Imagine that you had put great time and effort into cultivating a particular moral and spiritual attitude and approach to your faith, only for Jesus to reveal that you have not been listening to God at all, but have gone astray from His will. Hearing such a holy rebuke would be painful and humiliating, requiring profound humility to accept. Imagine further that you listened to all that Jesus said to you. You felt the sting of wounded pride and self-righteousness, but you humbled yourself, repented, and began to change. When that happens, external humiliation produces internal humility and bears an abundance of good fruit. When it doesn’t happen, we reject the truth and become even more obstinate in our ways, allowing pride to harden our hearts further.
In truth, none of us is righteous enough to attain the Kingdom of Heaven by our own efforts. We all fall short of fulfilling God’s will and cooperating with His grace. The real question is not whether we need ongoing change, but whether we are willing to receive Jesus’ loving rebuke and change our ways.
Saint Faustina, in her Diary, stated, “O my Jesus, nothing is better for the soul than humiliations” (#593). Humiliations are a gift from God because they reveal our self-righteousness and pride, and invite us to rely more fully on His grace. The sting of having that pointed out is itself a humiliation, but that humiliation has the power to lead us to profound humility, repentance, and ultimately, holiness.
Reflect today on the many humbling truths God desires to reveal to you. Each humiliation, though painful, is a step on the path to true righteousness and holiness, drawing us closer to the Beatific Vision in Heaven. Only in Heaven will we be fully purified of every sin. Until that day, we must embrace every humiliation God allows, recognizing these painful truths as gifts that correct us, purify us, and set us firmly on the path to true righteousness.
Lord of all Truth, there are many truths I need to hear, even when they are difficult. Please humble me by speaking directly to my soul and revealing my sin. As You do, grant me the grace to listen with an open heart and respond generously to Your call. Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
This statement would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. At that time, the scribes and Pharisees were well-known for their meticulous observance of the Law of Moses, attending scrupulously to even the smallest details. They prided themselves on their strict adherence and often made their “righteousness” highly visible, earning them great respect among the people as models of holiness and fidelity to the covenant. However, their fidelity was often purely external, lacking the interior disposition of love and worship of God, which is the heart of the covenant. For this reason, Jesus spoke bluntly to the people, even in the presence of the scribes and Pharisees, declaring that their level of righteousness was insufficient to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Imagine the humiliation felt by these religious leaders. Jesus’ words would have stung deeply, confronting them with the inadequacy of their righteousness. Such a confrontation can lead to one of two responses: Either the sting of humiliation fosters the virtue of humility, repentance, and conversion, or it magnifies pride, leading to anger and rejection. While some of the scribes and Pharisees might have chosen the path of humility and repentance, the majority likely did not.
Jesus followed up this statement with a teaching on anger and how it can move from an interior disposition to severe hatred. While that teaching is important, it is also useful to pause and place ourselves in the shoes of the scribes and Pharisees, pondering how we would have reacted if we were them. Many of them had spent their whole lives studying the Law, following it, and teaching others to do the same. When Jesus came along, He essentially told them that much of what they had been doing was worthless and fruitless because they were not following the will of God. Place yourself in their shoes.
Consider your ability—or inability—to endure the humiliation that those religious leaders felt. Imagine that you had put great time and effort into cultivating a particular moral and spiritual attitude and approach to your faith, only for Jesus to reveal that you have not been listening to God at all, but have gone astray from His will. Hearing such a holy rebuke would be painful and humiliating, requiring profound humility to accept. Imagine further that you listened to all that Jesus said to you. You felt the sting of wounded pride and self-righteousness, but you humbled yourself, repented, and began to change. When that happens, external humiliation produces internal humility and bears an abundance of good fruit. When it doesn’t happen, we reject the truth and become even more obstinate in our ways, allowing pride to harden our hearts further.
In truth, none of us is righteous enough to attain the Kingdom of Heaven by our own efforts. We all fall short of fulfilling God’s will and cooperating with His grace. The real question is not whether we need ongoing change, but whether we are willing to receive Jesus’ loving rebuke and change our ways.
Saint Faustina, in her Diary, stated, “O my Jesus, nothing is better for the soul than humiliations” (#593). Humiliations are a gift from God because they reveal our self-righteousness and pride, and invite us to rely more fully on His grace. The sting of having that pointed out is itself a humiliation, but that humiliation has the power to lead us to profound humility, repentance, and ultimately, holiness.
Reflect today on the many humbling truths God desires to reveal to you. Each humiliation, though painful, is a step on the path to true righteousness and holiness, drawing us closer to the Beatific Vision in Heaven. Only in Heaven will we be fully purified of every sin. Until that day, we must embrace every humiliation God allows, recognizing these painful truths as gifts that correct us, purify us, and set us firmly on the path to true righteousness.
Lord of all Truth, there are many truths I need to hear, even when they are difficult. Please humble me by speaking directly to my soul and revealing my sin. As You do, grant me the grace to listen with an open heart and respond generously to Your call. Jesus, I trust in You.
Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But 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.” Matthew 5:21–22
The passage quoted above gives us three deepening levels of sin that we commit against another. These sins were new teachings not contained in the Old Testament. By this teaching, Jesus’ call to radical holiness and love of neighbor is made very clear.
The first level of sin is simply to be “angry” interiorly. The sin of anger is an interior attitude of disgust toward another. Jesus says that the consequence of having anger toward another is that you will be “liable to judgment.” The second level of sin is when you say to another “Raqa.” This Aramaic word is difficult to translate but would include some form of expression of one’s anger toward another. It would be a derogatory way of saying to another that they are unintelligent or inferior. The third level of sin Jesus identifies is when you call another “fool.” This word is an even stronger expression of Raqa and would be a verbal criticism of them, indicating that the person is a lost soul in a moral sense. It’s a strong moral condemnation of another that is expressed.
So, do you struggle with anger? Jesus’ calling to freedom from all levels of this sin is a high one. There are many times in life when our passion of anger is stirred up for one reason or another, and that passion leads to one of these levels of sin. It’s a common temptation to want to condemn another with whom you are angry in the strongest way possible.
It’s important to understand that this new teaching of Jesus is truly not a burden when understood and embraced. At first, it can seem that these laws of our Lord against anger are negative. That’s because lashing out at another gives a false sense of satisfaction, and these commands of our Lord, in a sense, “rob” us of that satisfaction. It can be a depressing thought to think about the moral obligation to forgive to the point that disordered anger disappears. But is it depressing? Is this law of our Lord a burden?
The deep truth is that what Jesus teaches us in this passage is, in many ways, more for our own good than that of others. Our anger toward another, be it interior, verbally critical or all-out condemning, can be hurtful toward the person with whom we are angry, but the damage these forms of anger do is far worse for us than them. Being angry, even interiorly, even if we put on a happy face, does great damage to our soul and our ability to be united to God. For that reason, it is not this new law of our Lord regarding anger that is the burden, it is the anger itself that is a heavy burden and a burden from which Jesus wants you free.
Reflect, today, upon the sin of anger. As you do, try to see your disordered anger as the real enemy rather than the person with whom you are angry. Pray to our Lord to free you from this enemy of the soul and seek the freedom that He wants to bestow.
My merciful Lord, You call us to perfect freedom from all that burdens us. Anger burdens us. Help me to see the burden that my anger imposes upon me and help me to seek true freedom through the act of forgiveness and reconciliation. Please forgive me, dear Lord, as I forgive all who have hurt me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Introductory Prayer: Father of love, the source of all blessings, you have led me throughout my life, and you lead me still. Thank you for your paternal care. Jesus, Son of God, you died for me on the cross to pay for my sins and manifest your unconditional love for me. Thank you for showing me the way home to the Father. Holy Spirit, sweet guest of the soul, you heal me and strengthen me and set me on fire from the most intimate depths of my soul. Thank you for your loving presence within me.
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