＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊      

2 Corinthians 3:15-4:1, 3-6

 Up to this very day, whenever they read Moses,

The veil remains over their understanding but, for whoever turns to the Lord, the veil shall be removed. The Lord is spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  So, with unveiled faces, we all reflect the Glory of the Lord, while we are transformed into his likeness and experience his Glory more and more by the action of the Lord who is spirit.

Since this is our ministry mercifully given to us, we do not weak­en. In fact if the Gospel we proclaim remains obscure, it is obscure only for those who go to their own destruction. The god of this world has blinded the minds of these unbelievers lest they see the radiance of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is God’s image. 

It is not ourselves we preach, but Christ Jesus as Lord; and for Jesus’ sake we are your servants. God who said, Let the light shine out of darkness, has also made the light shine in our hearts to radiate and to make known the Glory of God, as it shines in the face of Christ.

 

Ps 85:9ab & 10, 11-12, 13-14

The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊   

Matthew 5:20-26

 I tell you, then, that if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial.  But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial.

Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council; whoever calls a brother or a sister “Fool” deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell.   So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you,   leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

 Don’t forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail.   There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.

  

Gospel Reflection：

The little things in life if left unchecked will someday grow up enormous. Then that is the time that we worry because we think that being too small, is insignificant and unworthy of our time. Not so with Jesus. He gives importance to the little things. That is why He starts with anger.

If left unchecked, it might push the person to literally commit murder. And so, the gospel today counsels us to be mindful of the little sins that pass in us. They may be insignificant as it is, but when they accumulate, they would be the cause of one’s downfall.