Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 6, 2020
Jesus said to his disciples: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.
“So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Reflection
The bread and wine sit upon the altar, freshly consecrated. But before we receive them, the presider signals us: “Offer each other the sign of peace.” Suddenly, the solemnity of the moment seems to give way to bursts of affection: families kiss one another, teenagers give shy side-hugs, and folks flash peace signs down their rows. Even strangers exchange cordial handshakes.
I was received into full communion with the Catholic Church as an adult. When I first began attending Mass, this struck me as an odd time to exchange greetings. This faith upholds the Eucharist as the source and summit of Christian life. Why distract from this climactic moment with high-fives and hugs?
In today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus commands us to “first be reconciled to your brother or sister” before approaching the altar. Jesus’ first-century Jewish audience would have offered gifts for sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem as a means of reconciliation with God. Jesus warned them, however, that they could not be reconciled to God until they had reconciled with their fellow humans.
Today, we practice this teaching by pausing over our own gifts of bread and wine. Before we approach the altar, we follow Jesus’ command by making peace with each other. The sign of peace is more than a time for affectionate greetings–it is a moment for us to pause and take stock of whether we need to forgive anyone or to ask for their forgiveness. It is a moment to remember that in the life of faith, our horizontal relationships (with other people) are inextricably linked to our vertical relationship with God.
Upon further reflection, this moment does not break the solemnity of the liturgy. It is, in itself, a deeply, joyfully, solemn act: giving and receiving peace with our neighbor that we may experience peace with God.
Prayer
Lord, as we get older, we realize more and more the truth that anger exacts a high price. Anger that stews and ferments, day after day, is a prison of our own making. So please help us in a special way today. Grant us the grace of reconciliation where it’s needed. Or maybe we need to go a step back, and ask for the grace to desire to be reconciled. Either way, we yearn to be free from the angry prison in which we’ve placed ourselves—help us grow towards your kingdom. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Colette lived a life of extremes in service to God's will.
She was born in France in 1381, daughter to a carpenter. Both of her parents had died by the time she was 17 years old, and she gave away her possessions to the poor and joined a community of Franciscans.
For a time she lived as an anchoress—someone who lives in solitude and prayer—by having herself sealed in a brick cell with only one small, grated window looking in to a church. She became known for her spiritual insight and wisdom.
She had a vision from St. Francis in which he told her to reform the order of Poor Clares. To do this, she had to leave her cell. She decided to travel through France without shoes and in a patched nun’s habit, begging and encouraging greater faithfulness, especially among the religious orders there.
Her efforts were met with great opposition—she was even accused of sorcery—but she persisted, and began a movement that reformed convents in parts of France, Spain, and Belgium. She founded 17 additional convents in the reformed, stricter rule of the Poor Clares.
She was well-known for her holiness and for the depth of her prayer, which often led to ecstatic visions. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Colette, you called people to greater holiness by your own example and dedication to prayer—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Colette is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
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