The Top Floor | June 9, 2016

June 9, 2016

Have you ever made an ugly or funny face at someone and they said to you, “be careful or your face will stay like that forever"? Or have you ever met a grumpy old man and wondered if he has been that grumpy his whole life? Anger is something that can indeed be practiced and when practiced enough it becomes something that we are just good at. The same is true with unforgiveness, negativity, resentment, and bitterness. We can practice each one of these things, and like a piano player that practices daily, we can become experts at these ugly faces.

Jesus calls us to a higher standard in today’s gospel. The Hyatt Regency in downtown San Diego is 40 stories high and at the top of the Hyatt there used to be a beautiful bar with stunning views of the city and the bay. There is one elevator that takes you straight up there, in other words there are no buttons to any of the other floors, and your choice is only to go straight to the very top. In essence, Jesus’ sermon today tells us to get on the elevator that goes directly to the top floor. He starts off by saying that we need to be holier than the Pharisees and Sadducees, which if you’ve been paying attention to the shallowness of these religious leaders in the gospels, should not be that difficult to do. The problem is that our earthly standards have somehow convinced us that we are not allowed to be as holy as the clergy or a religious sister or nun or even a super pious church lady. We choose all the lower leveled floors on the elevator and don’t even know about the elevator with the button straight to the top. Jesus knows that we can do better and he gives us an example that can grow us in spiritual maturity by practicing holiness.

He takes the commandment, “Thou shall not kill”, and unpacks it. Basically friends, it is pretty darn easy to NOT murder anyone, am I right? OK, so Jesus points out that we can and do “kill” each other when we harbor anger or hatred toward someone, when we use unkind words or verbally abuse each other, when we do not forgive each other “quickly”, and when we set our standards low. If we practice something we will become good at it and we will even become champions at it. We need to go above and beyond simply “not murdering” someone, and Jesus emphasizes that reconciliation is paramount in us being able to choose the top floor.

 If we are holding on to any anger, resentment, or bitterness, let’s pray that today is the day we settle those matters quickly so that our faces don’t stay like that, and that we find the elevator with one button straight to the top. The gospel closes with “Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Raise your hand if being stuck in an elevator gives you anxiety. Then we must settle our matters of anger and unforgiveness, and pay it back or pay if forward with kindness, peace, and mercy so that we don’t carry any extra weight with us to make that elevator to the top get stuck.

Jesus believes in us and he calls us to the top floor today. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 1 KGS 18:41-46

Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink,
for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
So Ahab went up to eat and drink,
while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel,
crouched down to the earth,
and put his head between his knees.
“Climb up and look out to sea,” he directed his servant,
who went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.”
Seven times he said, “Go, look again!”
And the seventh time the youth reported,
“There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”
Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab,
‘Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.’”
In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind,
and a heavy rain fell.
Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel.
But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah,
who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab
as far as the approaches to Jezreel.

Responsorial Psalm PS 65:10, 11, 12-13

R. (2a) It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
Thus have you prepared the land:
drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Alleluia JN 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“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,
and whoever says to his brother,
‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
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.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”