GO AND BE RECONCILED FIRST

PRAYER MOMENT                          

Thursday 12 June 2014

GO AND BE RECONCILED FIRST

Pause. Be still in the presence of God.

Reading: “If your brother has something against you, go and be reconciled first and then come back and present your offering.” (Matt 5:20-26)

Reflection. The sudden escalation of civil war in Iraq yesterday is a sharp reminder of what happens when problems are left unresolved. They fester like an unattended wound which eventually causes serious illness. In the new kingdom which Jesus is announcing issues have to be dealt with as soon as they arise. Do not let the sun go down on your quarrel! We see what has happened in Syria and South Sudan and now in Iraq again. And it is the same in our families, in our work places, our country and in our own personal health. How often have we heard of people who “left it too late.” So in the new kingdom do not allow the weeds to grow in your garden. Otherwise you will come out one day and see the wilderness and say, “Ah, it is normal.”   

Prayer. Lord, teach us to have the courage to look ahead and foresee problems before they happen, or at least deal with them as soon as they happen. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ