Every so often we might hear this statement from someone: why would I need to go to confession? I don’t steal, I don’t cheat, I didn’t kill anybody. Well, that’s wonderful; but as Christians, as followers of Jesus, we need to have much higher standards. That’s why Jesus reminds us today in the Gospel: “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.” We are not the people of the Old Testament, rather the people of the New Testament, so we have a new standard set up by The Son of God. Luckily, most of us don’t kill, don’t steal and don’t commit these terrible crimes. But Jesus tells us today that even if we are angry with someone, even if we have bad thoughts against someone, then we have already sinned. Certainly, this is a good thing to reflect upon during this season of Lent. Am I angry with someone? Do I hold grudges?
