“But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment.”

Matthew 5:22

Matthew 5:20-26

Reflection

Jesus tells his disciples their ancestors were told not to kill anyone or else they would be liable to judgment. But now, Jesus teaches that if someone is even angry with someone or calls them a fool, they will be liable to judgment. Jesus instructs the disciples to settle with their opponents before reaching court and be reconciled with their brothers; otherwise, they will be handed over and not released until the last penny has been paid.

Once again, Jesus is teaching how the small things in life truly count. Being angry at a family member makes you liable to judgment. Sins that may seem small to us or not matter much – gossiping, complaining, lying, being impatient – put us at the risk of judgment. There is nothing too small or less sinful that goes unnoticed by God. By working on those daily encounters where we often sin, we cultivate virtue and show others that all of our actions matter.

Jesus asks us to examine every facet of our lives and root out the sin. The habitual sins we commit lead us further from Christ, even if we don’t realize it. He tells us to reconcile with all we sin against; else we risk judgment. Take a step back, look at your ‘minor’ sins, and reflect on how you can begin to take them more seriously and work on solutions to practice virtue instead of vice.

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Saint of the Day

St. John of Sahagun: 1419 – 1479

“A person must be prepared in his soul to speak the truth, both in denouncing and correcting shortcomings and in praising virtue, to such a point that he is willing in that cause even to face death.”  St. John