Leave your gift there at the altar

13 JUNE (Mt 5,20-26)

The love of the neighbour is the true jewel of the Old and New Law. True religion is not determined by the relationship a person has with his Lord and God, but with the man that lives next door. Man is the meter, the measure and the absolute principle of the true religion. Man is the way to know the truth of our relationship with the Lord. Where the relationship with man is sick it is a sign that the one with God is sick. Never might one heal, mend his relationship with God if the relationship with man is not healed, cured and brought into the fullness of charity.

When the apostle James determines which is and what is the true religion he does not start from the relationship with God, from its beautiful liturgy, from its high and difficult theology, he does not even start from the mystics or other things that introduce man into a mystery bigger than him and from which he could shout out his religious truth. None of this. He begins from the love towards man. He is true towards God who is true towards man. On the contrary, who is false, imperfect, approximate towards man he will prove the same toward God. The light that enlightens us in our human relations is the same one that reveals us the relationship with God.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (Cf. Jn 1,26-2,26).

False light with men is also false light with God. This truth is absolute. This applies to every person of any religion or belief. Man is the way to God.

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.

One has to be sensitive, kind, honest with pure and holy words towards the neighbour.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us the true religion.