Depending on how strong the feeling of guilt is in different religions, the need for purification is also expressed; the consciousness of human weakness then helps the emergence of purification rituals, ceremonies, mysteries. Proper purification from evil, of course, happens through virtuous living. The best penances are good works. For a man who knows his faults no longer trusts himself very much. After all, aren’t all people given enough opportunities to right all the wrongs they have done in life? Have they committed in life?
Even Christianity makes a demand for purity of soul. The perfect love of God is incompatible with a defiled heart. That is why we believe in purification even in death and, after death, in purgatory. All the more reason to purify ourselves here on earth. Those of the Eastern Fathers who see the goal of life in contemplation, contemplation, like to repeat the sentence of St. Isaac the Syrian: “The soul sees God by how pure the heart is.” They liken the soul to a well that reflects the sky if the water is clear. “What, then, leads to that goal which leads to purity of heart,” St. Cassian writes, “let us grasp with all our strength; what from that goal, let us flee from it as from danger and harm.” What are the means of purification in the Church?
They may be expressed in one word: conversion. It should be, of course, this word is to be taken in its broadest sense. Those who listened to the apostles’ preaching after Christ’s resurrection were converted and baptized. Baptism is a symbol of death and resurrection. Symbolically, the older man is buried underwater, and a new man emerges who has promised to live in Christ according to his commandments. In the earliest times, adults were baptized. It was not thought that they could fall back into the old errors. And yet, the experience of the very soon showed that even a Christian is weak. It was, therefore, necessary at once to reconcile the erring with the Church, and those who erred severely, e.g., apostates in times of persecution.
It was a matter of reconciliation with the Church in the first place, of readmittance into the community of believers. However, because it is loosed in heaven, what is released from the apostles on earth (Mt. 16,
19); this reconciliation with the Church also implies the forgiveness of sins before God. We are not surprised, then, that repentance was initially public. Remnants of it are still preserved today in monastic chapters. In the new age, attempts are being made here and there to revive the practice in the smaller circles of the faithful. No doubt that it corresponds to the spirit of the Gospel, to the structure of the Church, to the words of the Father: ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as one as we forgive our debtors. The saying is true that the better can be the greatest enemy of the good. We are not all on such a spiritual height that we are willing to confess everything out loud, honestly. The Church introduced early the so-called ear, or private confession. The name “private,” however, is not entirely correct. Admission is indeed made to one priest, bound by the confessional secret, but he is officially there to the place of the Church.

Confession takes the symbolic form of proper judgment. The accuser is the penitent himself. He sues upon himself the transgressions against the divine and ecclesiastical law. The priest, for the Church, condemns him to punishment, to penance. Fort hens, according to the words of the prophet Nahum (1:9), God does not punish a second time; sins are already condemned and atoned for in confession and before God by repentance. Confession, therefore, precedes Christ’s final judgment, putting even those who have been left behind, again after his right hand (cf. Mt 25:33), among those chosen for salvation.

In the USA, they have recently done a campaign called `clean hands.’ It was to draw attention to the importance of handwashing. Researchers observed people, noting how many washed their hands after going to the toilet. Their findings were surprising. Many adults neglected even this most basic hygiene rule. We teach young children to wash their hands when they come home from school or the playground before they eat because unwashed hands carry a lot of germs and transmit diseases, but we do not comply.

But how does this relate to the gospel? Just as basic hygiene is not followed, neither are spiritual principles. “For they speak and do not act” (Matt. 23:3).

For such behavior, Jesus sharply rebukes them. He tells them that they are zealous for God’s law, but they remain only with the letter of the law. They were not proving it with their lives. When love for a person required them to leave something out, they would sacrifice a person rather than break the Sabbath.
There are quite a few such Pharisees in our ranks. This is not so much about keeping Sunday. With us, God’s law is being broken in several areas of life.

Let us lay our hand on our hearts, each to his own, that we are not so much concerned about pride, covetousness, gluttony, which have a destructive effect on our souls. We often do not take it seriously. But we risk much more than just some money we lose after a bad investment or some piece of our property that is a plain waste of what we lose. We risk losing the kingdom of heaven. Pride is a grave sin. If it appears, we must nip it in the bud. Imagine weeds in a garden. How much we have to weed, dig, how to destroy it. If we neglect the park, the weeds will ruin the whole crop.
This is what pride does in our heart – it destroys the life of God in us. It has already happened in Eden. “You will be like God!” the devil tempted Adam and Eve. And he does this in various forms today.

Let us think about whether we are also not acting hypocritically like the Pharisees in the Gospel. We command one thing and do another. How often do we point out the sin of our neighbors and often live in sin ourselves? If we want to cleanse the world of sin, let us first renounce sin. Let us live our Christianity in silence. Let us not be like the Pharisees who point out what good they have done, how good and godly they are, but in secret, they are sometimes worse than those they rebuke. Let us throw off the duplicity and begin to live our Christianity.

Today’s world needs witnesses who faithfully live out their Christianity according to Jesus Christ. Let us witness our lives show that we are Christians even without words.

Let us strive, even in this holiest sacrifice, to ask for the courage to truly witness so that we may first take off our mask, see the speck in our eye, and only then be able to draw the attention of the brother who is next to me. 

There is probably not a person among us who has not had an angry person in his life. Even as children, we may have had that experience. A friend or classmate got mad at us. He avoided us and maybe didn’t want to talk to us at all. How many of us have had this experience repeated to us later on. Perhaps even just today, we came to the temple with a heavy heart for our neighbor.

But beware! Jesus is speaking to us today: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Lk 6:37b).
Jesus says very plainly in his discourse, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” But this forgiveness is not just so that one can also be forgiven at the end of one’s life.

It is said that a group of theologians once met in England and discussed for hours how Christianity is actually (if at all) different from other religions, what of Christian doctrine has no parallel in other religions… They could not find an answer, until finally, belatedly, the well-known thinker C. S. Lewis and to the question without hesitation said: “That’s easy. The forgiveness of sins.” But not only the forgiveness of sins by God, but also the forgiveness of trespasses among people with one another. Even unintentional injuries need to be forgiven.

Forgive one another, for it is hard to live in tension with the feeling of forgiveness. I am sure you will agree with me that a person who cannot forgive is in a way a slave to the other person. When we carry forgiveness within us, we cannot concentrate on anything; we are nervous, literally impossible. We try to avoid the other person and wish him no good. Well. Certainly not. So let’s try, at this moment, to imagine a person whom we cannot forgive. Who we cannot bear and who, if he did anything, would get on our nerves. Let us imagine him and bless him in our minds. Let us often bless him in our minds and pray for him. Let us pray for forgiveness.
Because forgiveness is a miraculous disappearing act that makes everything that has happened go away, the pain may remain, the inability to meet the person will remain as well, but to wish the other well, to pray for him, to bless him, to try to love him – all of these points to forgiveness.

It is unfortunate when, in a family, parents and children or siblings do not speak to each other. Therefore, today, let us remember that we have only been together on this earth for a few years. Maybe just a few more days and we will never be able to say to each other: “Please forgive me.”

Therefore, let us ask for strength and courage at this Mass – that we may always be able to forgive the other as soon as possible.

Have you ever walked down the street and a neighbor with whom you have been at loggerheads for a long time roamed across the street? As he approached you, various memories were swirling around in your head, and suddenly the neighbor greeted you. You first looked at him in amazement; then you said hello, and then you started talking to him. Eventually, it became clear that you weren’t such great enemies and that all the irregularities would be sorted out.

Jesus says: “If you love those who love you, what reward can you expect? Do not even the tax collectors do this? And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing do you do?” (Mt 5:46-47)

In the Old Testament, it was confirmed that my neighbor is only a `suspect,’ that is, a Jew, and only to him am I to show love, while others are to be regarded as sinners and enemies. That is, I am not even to greet them and show them good deeds – this is what the Pharisees followed. They welcomed only their equals, not publicans and sinners, who to them were outcasts of humanity, traitors to their country.

But Jesus asks us as Christians to act differently, to “do something special.” Greeting in oriental countries meant much more than mere courtesy. Greeting meant wishing blessings and peace on another.

We Christians are to do something special to distinguish ourselves from the pagans. Jesus asks us to pray for our persecutors, love our enemies, and be great sinners. For we are all children of our heavenly Father, and we are all brothers to one another. And so we are conformed to our infinitely merciful Father.

St. Peter writes that we are called to bless others so that we may become heirs of a calling (cf. 1 Pet. 3:9). So we Christians are to distinguish ourselves from others by blessing even our enemies.

In the early Church, it is known that “all believers were of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32). They loved one another, and this love of theirs penetrated to those who had not yet believed in Christ, and the Gentiles themselves pointed to the Christians and said among themselves, “See how they love one another,” and this love brought them to faith in Christ. Even when they persecuted Christians and imprisoned them, the Christians did not behave rudely and disrespectfully, leading to many conversions.

We see that it pays to be unique and not conform to this world and do what this world asks of us. Most of all, it pays to be like Jesus, to strive for perfection because our heavenly Father is also perfect.

Let us try to conclude by praying in the spirit of today’s Gospel: Lord Jesus, you alone teach us how to love our enemies. You prayed on the cross for those who crucified you. We ask you to grant us the grace to behave as you did so that we too may become heirs of eternal blessing.

I suppose most of you have a garden at home. And I think you’ve noticed one fact, too. If you don’t want the weeds to do you any harm, you need to pull them up while they’re still small. Just after it’s germinated. Jesus, the teacher in cultivating our spiritual life, reminded us today that a similar principle applies in the spiritual plane.
He said, “You have heard that it was said to the fathers, ‘You shall not kill.'” Therefore, whoever kills will go to trial. But I tell you, anyone who is angry with his brother will be brought to trial.” (Mt. 5:21-22).
So that sin, which is infinitely more dangerous than a weed in a garden, may not harm; it must be spotted, nipped in the bud. Preferably, when it is just sprouting, it is easiest to get rid of it and not harm oneself or one’s neighbors.

The Lord Jesus reminds us of this concerning anger. In the germ, the offense is of little intensity, perhaps related to feelings of resentment, injustice, envy… At this stage, it is not difficult to root it out, overcome it, or forgive one’s neighbor. But if one begins to nourish it within oneself, water it, feed it, and not renounce it, anger will slowly start to grow and take more profound and broader roots. And gradually, it begins to bear malignant fruit. The man himself suffers inwardly; anger eats him up, kills peace and joy in him, causes tension. One cannot keep this inner discord hidden within oneself for long. It begins to manifest itself in the form of psychological or physical harm to one’s neighbor, or even murder.

And we can still learn something important in the garden. Weeds thrive most where no plants, no vegetables, grow. That’s where it has the most nutrients, moisture, and light. So, too, sin takes root best where no virtues grow. So it is not enough to suppress anger, but one must also cultivate the positive purity of love. Be reconciled to your brother! (cf. Mt 5:24).
It is, therefore, necessary, for a moment, to turn our gaze away from the altar and look beside or even behind us, at our brothers and sisters. What is my relationship with them? Would anyone blame me for anything? Wouldn’t that be justified? But let’s not just dwell on examining our negatives, our faults in this area. Let us go further. Let’s ask positively! What could I do for them specifically? Maybe for the elderly and the infirm or those closest to me, at least something small.
We have a chronically familiar commandment: thou shalt not kill. But I do know one way of perhaps killing enemies.

The courtiers have accused Emperor Sigismund of treating his enemies so magnanimously that he should have killed them all. The Emperor replied: ‘You are right, enemies are to be destroyed – but with kindness. Then we will kill the enemies in them and make friends of them.”
Let us not be destroyed and consumed by anger, by the desire for revenge. Let us remove it by being reconciled to our neighbors, eliminating their enemies, and making more friends. Our life will become a little more beautiful, more joyful, and peaceful. Well, I wish for you and myself that this Holy Mass, where the touching love of Jesus for us is recalled, may strengthen us and reignite our desire to fight for love, peace, and reconciliation.

There is no more critical issue in our transformation efforts than one
obvious: What exactly is wrong? What’s going on inside us? What leads us to depression, fear, sexual perversion, hostility, and a host of other problems that plague us? Is it perhaps in the depths of our treacherous, hidden in the depths of our hearts that even a sincere commitment to following Christ and a determination to live as we ought? Do most counseling efforts address some fundamental issue essential to inner transformation, necessary for inner transformation?
The problems are everywhere: my parent without a partner who is trying to be a mother and a father, there’s the wife who’s hopelessly in a relationship with a weak man as a woman, some men struggle with them often the overwhelming urge to engage with pornographic literature, and adolescent young people who are depressed by feelings of defiance towards their parents they love. Sometimes human suffering seems too much. Any of us would tell a story. When I reach my limit, when nothing can surprise me, a friend confides in me his burden, the existence of which I had no idea existed, and my numb complacency dissolves in a desperate cry for God to do something more than what I think he does.

Perhaps my point of view is a bit tainted by my vocation, in which I interact daily with people affected by cancer, so I completely forget that some people are also healthy. But when I have the opportunity to talk intimately with my “healthy” friends, I usually find that either their lives aren’t as balanced as they seem, or the appearance of contentment is maintained at the expense of their depth of self-awareness and relationships with others. Christians must remember that we live in a sinful world. This truth has a profoundly significant impact. Everything is true, to a certain to some degree, wrong. We should therefore assume that an honest look at our lives and the lives of others will reveal serious problems. Our response to them need not be a disgusting retreat, a cynical disinterest, or a tendency to pursue our comfort superficially.
We must not resign ourselves to defeatism and live out our days in the gloom. Nor is the solution to retreat to arrogantly elitist conversations with other enlightened ones who are elevated above trying to set things right. It helps just as little to escape the painful reality of watching television, working all sorts of jobs, cultivating friendships, and pleasant religion. We are called to enter the disturbing facts of our own lives and the lives of our neighbors with life-changing truthfulness. But therein lies the rub. The truth we embrace and the principles we uphold don’t seem to change many people. They may keep us going, but not with the bottomless vitality that would attract others. Can we reorganize ourselves and perform with composure as people who live for God, yet we know that something in us is entirely different from what the Bible says. Something is missing. Something is not correct, and we know it. Just like a patient who carefully observes the doctor’s orders and yet still feels the same pain, we fear (and rightfully so) that there’s some other serious problem that the prescribed medication isn’t working for.

If looking inward will yield any results, we must begin by accurately defining the underlying problem that requires change. What is it? The dirt inside the bowls and plates must be uncovered and removed? Our nature? Lack of self-control? Traumatic childhood memories? Insincerity in surrender? Inner insecurity? Mental illness? An unmanageable temperament? Self-regret? Ignorance of the Bible? Laziness? Negativity? Stubborn sinfulness? Lack of meaning in life? What do we have to deal with if we want to change substantially and gradually until we die? What is the problem that requires correction to bring about inner transformation? When we identify our situation, then and only then – we can deeply appreciate its solution. The more deeply we understand, the uglier the ugliness of sin, the more beautiful the cross of Christ will be to us.

All of us are probably familiar with the folk wisdom, “As the mountain calls, so the mountain calls.” Everyone knows what an echo is, and it doesn’t take much knowledge to recognize that there is also an echo in human relationships. Jesus speaks of this echo: “What you want people to do to you, do also to them.” (Mt 7:12).

But this call of Jesus transcends our folk wisdom, which is more akin to the Old Testament, “What is not pleasing to you, do not do to another” (Tob 4:16). Neither calls directly for doing good. Instead, folk wisdom speaks of a response to a particular act, and Old Testament wisdom discourages doing evil.
Jesus’ exhortation, however, calls for doing good. If he calls for doing good, he knows that good is not always rewarded with good. He knows that interest is complex; it is narrow and passes through a narrow gate. But it is the only way to life.

If we were to compare the moral prescriptions given by God to Moses, or given directly by Jesus, with the drugs of other religions or ethical principles, we would find that they largely coincide. Why? Because of the ability to know the good. Even a young child knows that pain, battle, or sickness is terrible and knows what is good. From the knowledge of good and evil that touches me, I realize that others suffer for sin too, and good help them develop. From my own experience, I derive what is good and what is evil. However, this ability to know good and evil is not absolute. We often doubt what is right and what is wrong. God, therefore, helps us with His Law. When He determines to do this, He does not want to limit us but guide us to attain life.
A certain Verbist said in a sermon, “To reward good with evil is diabolical, to reward evil with evil is instinctive, to reward good with good is human, but to reward evil with good is Christian.” We see that it is not always true: as the mountain is called, so it is answered from the hill. How many times is well rewarded with evil? If I strike, I will strike first. But if I do good, will I see the reward? Certainly, but only from God. Man can also “thank” me for good with evil.

One of my professors presented us with his slap theory. He said: “A young girl appeared on a television show and said that she didn’t know what was good and what was bad, and she didn’t even know who had the right to decide.” The professor added that he wouldn’t explain it to her; it would probably take longer. He’d give her one slap. If she snapped out of it, she’d know right away what the difference was between right and wrong.

The professor, however, is no grobian, but what he meant to explain to us with this was that people who relativize the concept of right and wrong are either not very smart or very cunning. Let us beware of the latter especially. They will say that we cannot know evil, so they will do evil – while we cannot judge them.

But knowing good is not enough; we must also do it. Live according to what we know. Let us dig deep into our hearts. Let’s find out if we act the way we would like people to work. Let us ask at this holy sacrifice: the strength to change it if we don’t.

Did you ever stop to notice. All the children dead from war? Did you ever stop to notice.The crying  Earth, the weeping shores?