Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5,20-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
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.”
The process
1. To kill. In recent times, people have found it all too easy to destroy others with their words. It feels like there are no limits—everyone talks about everyone else, often without considering the consequences. We rarely take responsibility for what we say, even though a careless remark can ruin someone’s life in an instant. I recall a time when I was trying to help a teacher feel part of a school community. He always seemed withdrawn and alone; he would teach his class and leave as soon as he could. Although he was an outstanding educator, he remained isolated. One day, I asked him, “Why do you always keep to yourself?” He answered, “Five years ago, a nun accused me of inappropriate conduct with a student. I was judged by all my colleagues and nearly lost my job. Eventually, it was proven untrue, the sister claimed she hadn’t said that—but during that period, my colleagues and the administration turned away from me. Despite twenty years of impeccable service, a single false rumor was enough to destroy my reputation.” Hearing this was a harsh realization, but it helped me understand his behavior.
2 Your brother. We must be aware of our actions and take responsibility for how we handle situations because someone’s life can be shattered in a single moment. Slander is like a bomb: it can destroy a good name in minutes and leave permanent scars.
3. Your offering. Don’t give up on doing good and offering everything to God—even when others try to crush your spirit or have already tried to ruin your life. Your life has value, and the truth ultimately prevails. Remain faithful to God and trust that His will has the final say. Be encouraged! People may speak ill of you, but as long as you stay true to your faith, no one can truly destroy who you are.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
