March 14, 2025 // Friday of the First Week of Lent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26
Reflect on the Word //
I don’t know about you, but for most of my life I have belonged to parishes of the humble variety. There are no towering ceilings, flying buttresses, or walls of colored glass. There are, however, plenty of cinder block walls, commercial carpeting, and felt banners in these churches.
That is why I’m always struck by references to the temple in Jerusalem—especially in the Gospels, when Jesus refers to it. An awe-inspiring place meant for the worship of God, where the people would bring actual physical sacrifices and gifts in the forms of first fruits and animals.
To then hear Christ say, “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” (Matthew 5:23-24), brings such a real importance to how we treat others we are in relationship with. To go through the planning and preparation of bringing our gifts to the temple, entering the holy of holies, offering what we have grown or created that we feel to be the best to God, only to have to leave it on the steps all because we’re mad at someone??
But the reality is, that whether our parish is a baroque cathedral or a newer suburban structure, there is a real sacrifice being represented at every Mass and we are meant to make our offering of ourselves along with Christ’s.
So often we want our plans, our offerings to God, and our good works to be what God sees when we go to Church. But we can’t hide what is happening in our relationships from Him. How we treat everyone in our lives, from our spouse to strangers on the street, affects our hearts. God desires worship of our entire hearts given over to Him in love, and that means even the corners where we hold anger and resentment towards others.
Relate to the Lord // What will you offer to the Lord today?
Christy Isinger is a wife and mom to five lovely, loud children and lives in northern Canada. When not homeschooling, she is a devoted reader of English literature from Jane Austen to Agatha Christie and blogs about beauty and life. She is the co-host of the Fountains of Carrots Podcast. She is the author of Blessed Conversations: The Ten Commandments. Find out more about her here.
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