Therefore, 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.

For many years I have not truly seen nor understood this passage… that is, before now.

My attitude had always been: If somebody has something against me, may he come and tell me and I will be glad to listen to it.

But that was very egotistic approach and was very comfortable for me.

Because as you know from your own lives, it is very difficult and challenging to go and tell somebody what burdens us.

I know that myself, how difficult it is to go and tell somebody ‘’Hi, this and that worries me very much or hurts me very much, etc.’’

So Jesus challenges us in a very radical way.

“If you recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother, then come and offer your gift.”

What if it is your child who has something against you?

Your spouse?   Your mother-in- Law?    Your neighbor?

Jesus wants us to be channels of reconciliation.

How it can be that we come before this altar, and consume His body and blood, the visible signs that he reconciled world through Himself with God, if we remain in a state of war with others?

It is disharmonious to our relationship with God and shows a lack of respect toward God’s tremendous love for us.

After, I fully understood how crucial are those words of Jesus, I had an opportunity to practice it few times.

And it’s not easy. It is not easy to meet with someone, and say, “Hi, I heard you have something against me.”

Or rather, Hi!  I heard you are mad at me. What happened?

It is possible only through God’s grace.

So I challenge you today, to think about people who are mad with you. Prayer for them and let God’s living word give you the strength to do what you heard today: “Go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”