The Holy Apostle Carpus, One of the Seventy Disciples
Romans 1:18-27; Matthew 5:20-26
Read Matthew 5:20-26
Okay. I’m going to admit this to you all. Overall, I believe that most people can drive well. We all respect the rules of the road, we drive our vehicles carefully, and we look out for each other. And then… there are a few out there who do not do any of the above… they are careless, disrespectful, etc. And when I get cut off by one of them, all I want to do is shoot an anti-tank missile at them. Yes, it is true. I do not know where the thought comes from, but it arises and makes itself present in my cranium. I try to brush it off, even justify it, by adding that the missile is filled with love. But it is still a missile. It still seeks to destroy. What this experience tells me is that I still need conversion in my life. Perhaps you have had a similar experience.
St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that we are to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). He was echoing very much what our Lord has taught and which we read in today’s Gospel. Not killing is not good enough. No, we are to avoid even the thought of killing. Even the thought of calling someone a fool or imbecile is not for the disciple of the Lord. But avoidance of such thoughts is still not enough! In fact, we are to cultivate the gardens of our hearts and minds in a way that no such thoughts will arise, and every obstacle in the way of the Lord’s unconditional love is removed. Our Lord emphasizes this when He tells us that when we go to worship Him, and we remember that someone has something against us (that is, we have perhaps done something even involuntarily to someone and they are upset with us), we are to stop, go and be reconciled, and then return to worship. Remove the obstacle that will prevent the Lord’s unconditional love.
Let us remember in the light of our Lord’s love that verse from the Wisdom literature: “God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Bringing thoughts captive to Christ Jesus, cultivating our minds and hearts for the Lord’s Word, reconciling with others—it is not necessarily an easy task. But our Lord never said it would be easy, He only said that it is necessary!
Come, Lord Jesus!