Matthew 5:20-26 Go and be reconciled with your brother first

The Confession, Painted by Giuseppe Molteni (1800-1867), Painted in 1838, Oil on canvas © Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

Gospel Reading

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’

Reflection on the painting

The theme of our Gospel reading today captures one of the most basic themes of Lent: reconciliation. Jesus asks us not to reconcile ourselves only with our fellow brothers and sisters, but also to reconcile ourselves with God. Etymologically the word ‘reconciliation’ comes from the Latin words ‘re’, meaning ‘again’ and ‘concilare', meaning ‘to make friendly’. It is the act of making two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement. It is easy to see how that works between people. We can all probably think of examples of where people have been reconciled. However, thinking of reconciliation with God is harder to do, as often our lack of humility prevents us from seeing that there is anything broken or ruptured in our relationship with God in the first place. Only when we start to recognise that our relationship with God needs mending do we grow closer to the heart of God. Did he not reach out to us first by sending his Son in our midst, nailed to the cross for our sake? Of course we also have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (§§1423-24) gives various names for this sacrament: the sacrament of Conversion; the sacrament of Penance; the sacrament of Confession; the sacrament of Forgiveness; and the sacrament of Reconciliation. These names encapsulate the graces that we receive through the sacrament. Our painting by Giuseppe Molteni depicts a well-dressed young woman going to confession. At the time this was painted, critics thought that the lady was a young mother who had yielded to the advances of an admirer. But we don’t know for sure who she is. The artist never revealed who she was. A Catholic art critic at the time, Pietro Estense Selvatico, simply stated that the painting was designed to illustrate the moral beauty of everyday life. However we may read this painting, it is a beautiful depiction of the Sacrament of Reconciliation… there to make us friendly again with God.