Thoughts (Matthew 5: 20-26)

In the Gospel today, Jesus raises the standard on the meaning of murder. According to him, "Thou shalt not kill" applies not only to those who actually kill but also involves those who are angry at others. 

I think this is Jesus' version of a familiar quote:

Watch your thoughts, they become words. 

Watch your words, they become actions. 

Watch your actions, they become habits. 

Watch your habits, they become your character. 

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

If we look at the Gospel, there is almost a similar pattern:

Watch your thoughts, they become words. 

whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 

The commentary in the Gospel suggests that "Raqa" means imbecile or blockhead. In Tagalog, gago.

Watch your words, they become actions. 

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.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

Refer to the quote above on fiery Gehenna.

I don't think Jesus was saying necessarily that anger is murder. I think what he's saying is that anger leads to that slippery slope which could lead to murder. So before things get out of hand, deal with the anger and in the process, save your soul. 

Ask (Esther C, Psalm 138, Matthew 7:7)

Ordinary Time pretty much walked us through the Gospel of Mark and right before Lent, the letter of James. Because of this, the theme in the Gospel may not be the theme in the first reading. During Lent, however, the mass readings seem to follow certain themes and there is no single Gospel  that is followed. Yesterday, it was Luke, today it is Matthew.

The theme for today is about asking. In the First Reading, Esther begs God to spare her life and give her strength for an act that might lead to her death. The response for today's psalm is "Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me." And the Gospel for today is the familiar saying, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find."

The readings for today remind me of some basic lessons the Jesuits have taught me. Jesuit prayers always start with petitions, begging the Lord for this or that grace. And the stance of the person who prays is that of a beggar and this stance reflects a basic truth: that God is the source of all grace and that by definition, grace is pure gift and is given to us out of love and not because we are worthy of such grace.

The good news is that God is a gracious giver but the graces he gives may not necessarily be the graces we asked for. But the graces he gives are the graces we need at the moment he gives them.