by the Rev. Jered Weber-Johnson
“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
I don’t know about you, but I sure have a hard time building up the courage to ask forgiveness when I have hurt someone. And, when I am angry at someone else for the wrongs they’ve done, it is nigh on impossible for me to be the one to take the first step in trying to repair the relationship. Anger comes easy for me, and I can have a tendency to nurse it along. It’s not a pretty side of me, and I’m not proud of it. I have to pray regularly for grace to forgive and the courage to ask forgiveness.
That’s why when we come to the table for Holy Eucharist, I love this sentence of scripture as the words of invitation. It reminds me that at the center of our life in community, there at the moment of God’s selfless and self-giving act, when love is broken, poured out, and shared between siblings in Christ, we are entering into a moment of thanksgiving born of reconciliation. Hearing these words reminds me to seek reconciliation as a habit of life, as a fundamental posture in all things, to always seek it first and that joy, thanksgiving, and eucharistic life can follow as a result. Thanks be to God!
Wild Hyacinth – Camassia scilloides
These photographs, shared each day during Lent, capture the beauty of plants native to the Upper Midwest. As we spend time in Lenten reflection, these images of new life can remind us daily of our calling to be caretakers of God’s Creation.
Photo by Jo Anna Hebberger
