Matthew 5:23-24

"So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).

Comment:

This passage is from the teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount, a distillation by the author of Matthew of the essence of Jesus' radical teachings, especially about our relationship with the Divine. The point he is making here is that 'doing' is less important than 'thinking.' It's not enough to refrain from killing; angry and negative thoughts have an equally damaging effect. Here he emphasizes that just going through the required motions—as in bringing a gift to the altar—will not dissolve the negative energies of a conflict in our lives. We must first be at peace in consciousness before the gift can have any meaning. It doesn't matter if there is a reconciliation or not. What matters is that we act upon a new belief, a new expression of love. When we are at peace within ourselves, and bring to the altar of our own divinity a gift unclouded by anger or resentment, we are aligning ourselves with infinite love and contributing to the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed