Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 26, 2021
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.
“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.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
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.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
This reading makes me think that reconciliation with one another is a key to repentance in the season of Lent. In order to approach God with humble and contrite hearts, we need to make things right with each other, first.
Most of us struggle to forgive others who have wronged us in some way. It’s easier to just pretend like we didn’t really care and act as if we have moved on (or pretend like we didn’t do anything wrong ourselves). But this is essentially just the same as holding a grudge. This way of thinking leaves a rupture in a relationship and a barrier to returning to good standing with one another. This becomes all the more significant when the issue is between ourselves and others who are particularly important to us, especially family members and close friends. The stakes in those cases are not just whatever the problem was in the first place, but our very identities and relationships as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and sons and daughters. The issues that divide us are usually so tiny compared to the importance of these relationships.
Reconciliation with Jesus is similar. Our closest relationship in our lives should be with God, so ignoring a rupture in that relationship can be disastrous. But most of the time we act like there is no rupture in that relationship. We ignore our own sinfulness.
The reading today reminds us that reconciliation with each other is that path to approaching God. What do we have to lose?
Prayer
Lord, you know all too well that it is so easy for us to hold on to resentments, to live with anger even at the slightest of offenses. Help us to forgive and reconcile with each other, so that we may come to know and accept your mercy in our lives and extend that same mercy to others. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Isabel was sister to the great king of France, St. Louis IX, in the 13th century. Not only was she royal and wealthy, but she also had a sharp intellect and was a highly accomplished lady. She left aside all of these advantages of life as a princess, however, and sought holiness above everything.
Even as a girl, she was known for fervent prayer and fasting. She loved learning and studied Latin so that she could pray the liturgy of the hours and read the Church Fathers.
Isabel refused to be married, even when famous men courted her. Once, the pope wrote to her directly to encourage her to marry the king of Jerusalem for the good of Christendom, but her refusal to him was so humble and wise that he acknowledged her desire to dedicate her life to God alone.
Every day, before she ate her dinner, Isabel would seat poor people at her table and serve them herself. She would spend the evening visiting others who were sick and poor.
She established a convent for Franciscan nuns, asking St. Bonaventure to write up the rule of life for the community, and named it the Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Isabel never joined the community herself, but did live in the monastery in a room separate from the nun’s cells. She suffered from illnesses during her life, and these prevented her from following the rule of life for the nuns—this was one reason she refused to be named abbess of the monastery. That also allowed her to keep her wealth and resources, so she could support the community and continue to give to the poor. She kept a discipline of silence for most of her day.
Isabel understood the connection between the Eucharist and its call to service. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, which calls us to humble ourselves in love for others. Before she received communion herself, Isabel always begged forgiveness, on her knees, of the few servants that she retained.
Her life of prayer was marked by ecstasies at several points of her life, including a period of time near the end of her life when she stayed awake through several nights in rapt contemplation. She died in 1270.
St. Isabel of France, who had the known world at her fingertips and left it all to serve God and the poor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Isabel of France is in the public domain. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
