the last penny

Ezekiel 18:21-28; Psalm 130 If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand? Matthew 5:20-26

The psalm today repeats, "If you, O Lord, mark our iniquities, who can stand?"

Who can stand?

As we ponder our sinfulness and weakness and frailty, at times we can be inundated with doubt and fear and uncertainty about whether our efforts are even worth it.  

Is lent really going to benefit us?  

Will this frailty ever be strengthen?  

Must we drag this weak fledgling flesh and heart and mind through this life, with out any hope of experiencing redemption?  

Must we wait till heaven to experience heavenly goodness and strength on our journey?

Jesus tells us, unless our righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Great! Now we have more pressure to perform.  

We must remember that righteousness isn't something that we do, rather it is what we receive.  It isn't about pulling ourselves up from our bootstraps and muscling forward.  Righteousness is about letting God have his way with us.  It is always a step toward God before it is a step toward our neighbor.

This is why Jesus tells us to leave our gift at the altar, then go and be reconciled, then come offer the gift.  At the altar we encounter what righteousness is, what it looks like, how to receive it.  

At the altar,  we trade our pain and sorrow and weakness and fear, for the strength of Christ, the one who has already paid the last penny.  By bringing our gift to the altar we are participating in a sacred exchange, and truly allowing Christ to take over.    

We can not forgive on our own, but only in union with Christ is forgiveness possible.

At the altar, we are brought into the intimate reality of Jesus' love for his enemies.  As Jesus is being crucified, upon the altar of the cross, he shows us righteousness, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

Not only does Jesus seek to forgive them, but he also makes an excuse for them.  "Forgive them for they know not what they do."  

Is this not the invitation of Jesus in today's gospel.  We must remember that when one is in sin, their ability to think clearly and act righteously is hindered. Rather then dwell on our hurt and pain, should we not recognize the great tragedy of the human soul who has fallen short of being who they were meant to be.  Should we not lament their current state, rather then focus on ourselves and our suffering. 

Is this not what Jesus does on the altar of the cross.  He leaves his gift at the altar and he seeks to be reconciled.  It is his gift of his life that brings about reconciliation, "by the blood of the cross he has reconciled the world to himself."

The last penny has been paid with the last drop of blood shed upon the cross.  Jesus shows us that true righteousness is where ones words and actions are identical.  Here we receive the gift of righteousness, at the foot of the cross, at the altar of the cross, we bring our gift, the gift of our self and we experience redemption and thus our weakness becomes strength, our frailty becomes zeal, and we begin to have the "mind of Christ" and perfect love cast our all fear.

Who can stand?  The answer we find in the prayer of the Mass.  In Eucharistic prayer II, we pray, "Lord, we thank you for having made us worthy to stand in you presence and serve you."

Who can stand?  

We can stand!  And we stand not our own but in the shadow of the cross, the altar of our redemption, and our weak knees no longer tremble at our guilt and frailty for we encounter the one who makes us righteous.  God has marked our iniquities, and through the humility of the cross, Jesus gives his life, forgives us and makes excuses for us, so that  we might stand.