The Peace of the Lord - September 20
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; 2 Kings 5:1-19; 1 Cor. 4:8-21; Matt. 5:21-26
The Rabbi Harold Kushner once said,
“A woman in my congregation comes to see me. She is a single mother, divorced, working to support herself and three young children. She says to me, “Since my husband walked out on us, every month is a struggle to pay our bills. I have to tell my kids we have no money to go to the movies, while he’s living it up with his new wife in another state. How can you tell me to forgive him?” I answer her, “I’m not asking you to forgive him because what he did was acceptable. It wasn’t. It was mean and selfish. I’m asking you to forgive because he doesn’t deserve the power to live in your head and turn you into a bitter angry woman. I’d like to see him out of your life emotionally as completely as he is physically, but you keep holding on to him. You are not hurting him by holding on to that resentment, but you are hurting yourself.”[i]
We often are led to believe that forgiveness is necessary for a person who has wronged us, or for our own sake when we have wronged someone else, but forgiveness is not limited to one party as it is necessary for both parties to live into God’s vision of reconciliation. Rabbi Kushner reminds us just how dangerous it can be to hold onto feelings for our own wellbeing.
Today’s reading from Matthew is likely one of the justifications for passing the peace at Church. The practice dates back to at least the fourth century and is a prerequisite for receiving the Holy Eucharist. We extend to each other the peace of God, we are reconciled to each other, and then we are able to receive the gift of God’s presence in the Eucharist.
As I reflect on eighteen months of pandemic, it seems to me there is justifiable anger by many. Poor individual and corporate decisions have affected the well-being of others. And I am wondering what the fallout will be for years to come as we wonder how things could have been handled differently. Judgment, shame, and anger could so easily be our next story. And yet as Matthew’s Gospel account suggested, we cannot truly offer our gifts to God until we are first reconciled to each other. As individuals, we cannot offer our full selves when we are consumed with anger or resentment, even if fully justified.
In a period of such tragic loss when there is more than enough blame to go around, how do we not become consumed with resentment that further decays our own wellbeing? I’m guessing it starts with prayer. And maybe with an understanding that God desires to make us whole so that we can experience the gift of God’s presence too. It’s far too easy these days to keep tabs. Maybe we should let others do that and we can focus on passing the peace. The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: Are there feelings of resentment and anger that you hold on to? How are those feelings benefiting you? What are your own practices that help you learn to forgive?
Daily Challenge: Write down three things that occupy too much space in your mind or heart. Focus on forgiveness for those three things, specifically in preparation for the gift of the Eucharist. If you are yet to be worshiping in person, consider requesting a Eucharistic Visitor by emailing Katherine.
[i] See Harold Kushner in Simon Wiesenthal, The Sunflower (New York: Schocken Books, 1998), 186.