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You, O God, are indeed so good and loving! How true is our Responsorial Psalm as we close Lent’s first week, “If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?” because nothing can be hidden from you; yet, so many times you pretend like a dumb - “nagtatanga- tangahan" po kayo - as if not knowing our sins and evil just because you love us like when Jesus said in the gospel, “if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Mt.5:23-24).”
When does a “brother has anything against us?”, Lord?
If you mean, dear Jesus, that a brother/sister has something against us because of his/her wrongdoing, then we could never be able to offer anything at all to you because we all have something against each other! But here, it is very clear, “a brother has anything against you” because we have done something wrong against somebody; the burden is on us that is why we are obliged, even ought to be “reconciled with him first then offer our gift” because we’re the guilty one.
Forgive us, Jesus, for always pretending to be the offended or aggrieved ones when in fact, we are the offender, the sinner who had done wrong to another that is why he/she has anything against us".
We pray for those who have something against us because of our own making, of our own provocations; let us be real with you, O God, to change our ways beginning this Lent as you assure us through Prophet Ezekiel, “When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if the wicked, turning from wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die (18:26-28).” Amen.
