Settle with your opponent quickly

12 JUNE (Mt 5,20-26)

The Christian is called to be a perfect reconciler, but on the model of his Lord and God. For this reason he must be informed on the modes of his God, in order to operate effectively, since only the modes of God are effective. Those according to man are very defective, they even produce adverse effects. Those according to man start from his sinful flesh. The ones according to God flow from a heart that is most pure love, divine charity and only very high holiness.

Adam sins. He hides behind the bushes of the garden. God goes to his search. He offers him reconciliation. He announced that he is ready to forgive his sin. He promises him that he will put enmity between the serpent and the woman, his offspring and the offspring of the woman. The seed of the woman shall crush his head and will reduce him to certain death. There is life for whoever suffers the crushing of the head. Who takes the initiative is offended one. He takes it toward the offender. This logic is unknown to the world. Even after years and years of evangelization, this mode does not enter into the hearts of sin.

Humanity has fallen into the abyss of idolatry and impiety. The Lord intends to get reconciled. He calls Abraham and promises him blessing. In his seed all the tribes and nations of the earth shall be blessed. It is He, the Lord, who in the course of history, goes in search of his opponent to agree on, to offer him a sure hope. He will not be overwhelmed by his anger and will not be annihilated by his justice. He is the God who wants peace, seeks peace and gives his hand first as a sign of peace and reconciliation. He is the God who always precedes us in love.

Who is God? The offended, who to get reconciled with the offender pays his debt of justice. God, the offended pays for the man offender. But he does not pay in kind. He is not deprive himself of some of his good. He strips himself. He deprives himself of his own blood. He offers his own life. He lets himself be nailed on a naked and cold cross. Who does he let himself be nailed by? By the offender. For whom does he let himself be nailed? For the offender, so that his debt of justice before God were extinguished. What does Lord Jesus do before presenting himself to the Father? He asks for forgiveness for his executioners. He wants the Father to be reconciled with and grants them his forgiveness. He excuses and does not accuse them.

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.

What does the Lord ask to the Christian? Certainly not to pay the debt of justice to the one who offended him. Certainly not to die for his offenders. He does not ask him to pour for them his blood on the cross as he did. He asks him simply to offer him peace, reconciliation and forgiveness. Before approaching God, who is the reconciliation and forgiveness, Jesus asks him to be too reconciliation and forgiveness, mercy and compassion, a peace operator toward every one of his brothers.

This is a way that the world might never accept and also the Christian that returns to be world will never welcome. The world is founded on the law of revenge, of justice at any cost, of the value of his rights. You go to church, you celebrate a solemn funeral, you declare non forgiveness and you demand absolute justice. You live falsely the charity of our faith and our hope. You are a Christian without truth.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us capable of forgiveness.