Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 12, 2025
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 with him.
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.”
Matthew’s gospel today fills me with intimidation but also with hope. How can I, a human holding on to grudges and jealousy, make sure I have “paid the last penny?” Such radical forgiveness is easy to hold in my mind. “Forgive everyone!” What a simple, comforting aspiration to reach unity with God in heaven for a sinner like me.
But then, I look at my past hurts, the people who never apologized, and reconciliation chafes against my pride and sense of self-protection. If I’m honest, it more than chafes—reconciliation feels like it digs the bruise all over again. I am not sure that I can forgive all and pay the last penny, as I am still “angry with my brother.” How can I forgive when I am still angry?
Then, just as I still remember those past hurts, I am filled with joy that reconciliation is something I could accomplish. I do not have to be perfect or sinless, as I know that is impossible when I leave confession each month. I do not have to have perfect faith—I doubt God in ways big and small. Despite all of this, I know I have an advocate who can help me do the impossible.
So I leave hopeful and intimidated to pay the last penny, and joyful that God’s call is something within my reach, though it may not be today. I leave prayerful that God will change my stubborn, jealous nature and fill me with a spirit of reconciliation as I ask daily for help.
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
Eskil was a British monk and bishop who was sent to Sweden to convert the native Swedish people to Christianity. The date of Eskil's birth and death are lost to time, but he lived sometime in the mid-to-late eleventh century.
Eskil is the patron saint of two dioceses in Sweden, where he spent most of his ministry. Eskil made the town of Tuna, which is now present-day Eskilstuna, the seat of his missionary diocese.
He worked tirelessly to convert villages in the surrounding area to Christianity. As part of his missionary travels, Eskil made a journey to Strängnäs, an Old Norse holy site. Eskil disrupted a ritual happening in Strängnäs , and he was stoned to death by the angry villagers. In the image to the left, Eskil is shown holding three stones, to represent both his message of bringing the Trinitarian God to Sweden and his manner of martyrdom. Swedish Christians brought him back to Tuna. Legend has it that, while on their journey, his pallbearers laid his body down on the ground. A miraculous spring gushed out from underneath his body and began to flow down the mountain.
To this day, the spring is known as the spring of St. Eskil. The traditional site of Eskil's martyrdom is now the location of the Strängnäs Cathedral.
Eskil is the patron saint of the dioceses of Södermanland and Strängnäs in Sweden.
St. Eskil, missionary to Sweden—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Eskil is in the public domain. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
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