6A Homily, Matthew 5:17-37, February 12, 2023
1) STORY
Abraham Lincoln’s army general had some trouble with one of his officers
and complained to the president. Lincoln
told him to write a sharp letter to the officer, which he did. The general then showed the letter to Lincoln.
After praising the general for the
strong letter, he asked the general what he planned to do with it. A bit surprised at this question, the general
said he was going to send it to the officer. Lincoln advised him to tear it up and write
another one now that his anger has passed. The president said not to send a letter when
written in anger.
2) GOSPEL, MATTHEW 5:17-37
A) TO BE ANGRY WITH YOUR BROTHER
The fact is that sometimes we are
angry with God, with our family, neighbors and even with ourselves.
B) YOU WILL BE LIABLE TO JUDGMENT
Jesus teaches us that we will be
punished for being angry. Certainly, one punishment will be that we will be
unhappy.
3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) ANGER IN OUR LIVES
i) We are angry with God if he does
not answer our prayers. We think he has forgotten us or does not care about our
sufferings and problems. It is useless
to depend on him for help. It is better
to believe that he is powerless or does not exist.
ii) We are angry with our family, friends, co-workers, Catholics, and
neighbors. They have hurt us by their
words or actions. They have not come to our help when we are in need.
They have hurt
our reputation by lying or exaggerating our weaknesses.
iii) We are even angry at ourselves because we have made stupid mistakes, have
failed to achieve our goals, and because we are unhappy.
B) AVOID ANGER
i) God loves us, cares for us, and
wishes us to be happy. He is wiser than
we are. He will give us strength to
carry out his plan for us. He will give
us the wisdom to know what to do. We
must keep asking for his help and above all never abandon him.
ii) We must remember that others are weak, busy, and have to carry their own
crosses. Do not demand too much from
them. Be grateful for any help you
receive from them.
iii) We must not demand too much from ourselves. We will gradually continue to improve. We must do our best and leave the rest to God.
4) CONCLUSION
Lincoln gave wise advice to the angry
general. Jesus teaches us that anger will result in
serious consequences for us. We must avoid anger toward God and our
brothers.
