ON RECONCILIATION

FRIDAY 1st WEEK LENT: Matt 5:20-26

While taking a meal with a member of our community one day, he made a comment and said: “The advantage of living in a big community with a big dining room is that when you don’t feel like eating on the same table with somebody you don’t like, there are more tables to choose from.”

But what about someone who lives in a small community like a family where there is usually only one table in the dining room. Can one afford to eat separately on a different table, time and place during mealtime in order to avoid those whom he is not in good terms with? Can one ever have joy and peace living in such community? Certainly, there will always be tension, sadness and difficulties in that place.

Jesus knows so well that neither can one live so peacefully and fruitfully nor can one praise and appear before God properly in the Eucharist, if one has so much anger and grudge against someone in the same community, family and workplace. His prescription is simple, “take a courageous step, go and be reconciled with the person first” before anything becomes meaningful in the eyes of God and others.

An old man told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said: “My son, the battle is between two wolves. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The grandson thought about for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” the old man simply replied: “The one you feed.”

Entering the Kingdom of heaven is the feeding the “wolf of righteousness’ in us. We do this by practicing and promoting its ways in action. We have to make sure that righteousness is always winning the best part of us.

It is, of course, not always easy, because the bad wolf will growl and assert itself. We have to starve it by resisting and refusing it to take hold of us.

A proverb says: “One who lives in anger and desires revenge should dig up two graves, one for the enemy, another for himself. Forgiveness and reconciliation are more liberating and sanctifying. And so Christ-like!

What makes it difficult for us to do this? Pride. Injury is too deep. Not deserving of my attention. Nothing good comes out from it. Surely, it can be less difficult for us if we take a good look at Jesus on the Cross. Did he not take the first step of reconciliation and forgiveness when he prayed to His Father: “Forgive them, Father! For they do not know what they are doing.”

 Think more of the goodness that God has done for you. This will make less difficult for you to work for reconciliation in your community, in your family and areas of work. Let us reflect these words of God from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel: “"But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins, he shall surely live; he shall not die.