YOU WILL NOT E23NTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Ez 18,21-28; Ps 129; Mt 5,20-26
23 FEBRUARY
Today there is a very serious temptation that confuses the minds and hearts of all. We want to put God’s mercy against the Law and the Law against mercy. In doing so, we certify that we do not know what either the Law or even mercy is. Thus we become children of ignorance, but also great fathers of it. It’s as if one put bread against the hard work of the field. A piece of bread donated is mercy. But one must never forget that it is also the fruit of the hard work of the farmer. If we separate bread and work, we have our society today. Everything is wanted in it, everything is claimed, but it is ignored that everything that is desired and claimed is the sweat of others’ blood. What then is mercy? The real sweat of blood of Jesus the Lord who produced the gift of grace, of the Holy Spirit, of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of redemption, of salvation and of the opening of the kingdom of God.

What is the sweat of the farmer that produces the mercy of bread? It is obedience to the Law of the Lord that established, after the sin of the origins, a perennial exchange between the earth and man. Man gives his sweat to the earth, the earth will give him bread. If man does not give his sweat, not even the earth will give its bread. The perennial law of humanity. It is valid in every field. Man will give his sweat. The earth will produce its fruits. If man does not sweat, the earth does not produce. Christ Jesus has sweated blood, God has produced salvation. Now the blood must be produced by his body like sweat. The body of Christ produces the sweat of blood, God gives salvation and redemption to humanity. This truth is thus taught by Paul to the Colossians.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labour and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me (Col 1,24-29).

What is the law? It is the Word of Christ Jesus to whom we must obey, just as man obeys the earth, if we want to transform our life into a field in which the seed of God’s mercy, which is Christ Jesus, matures for us, bearing fruits of true salvation and redemption for us and for the whole world. Today Jesus tells us how our body must be worked and transformed: into a real field in which full respect for every man grows. Respect must be attested by keeping us away from all evil towards others, but also from the words of truth, holiness, forgiveness used in his favour. Never must a word come out of the mouth that in any way can be offensive.

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.

There is no opposition, contrast, divergence between Law and mercy, because obedience to the Law, that is, to the Word of Jesus, is the tree on which mercy matures. The tree is cut off, its fruits die. The Law is abandoned, man no longer produces mercy. It is the truth of Christ. It must be the truth of the disciple.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints, free us from all ignorance.