Day 13

l The judgment’ means capital punishment, since, according to the ancients, it followed murder, which the Law punished infallibly by death. But Christ, in order to show how slight a thing is human justice compared to Divine, allots the penalty of ‘judgment’ — that is, the extreme punishment inflicted by human judgments — to the lowest degree of injury : to simple anger. He means by this that anger against a brother is in itself a sin worthy of death before God. Hence we must not doubt that a mortal sin is committed when anybody remains voluntarily estranged from his brother, which is the case when we keep up anger against him, because then anger is turned into hate. The only way by which we can avoid mortal sin when we have such feelings, is by fighting hard against the bad inclination ; for, if we let it get mastery over the heart, charity is destroyed.

The second degree of punishment is ‘the D C 49 3 Council,’ which expression refers to the higher Jewish tribunal that was above the one called the i Judgment.’ In the lesser one private crimes, if necessary, were punished with death ; but the Sanhedrin , or Supreme Council of the nation, was more severe, inasmuch as it judged crimes concerning the State, and the government and religion of God’s people : — and against it there was no appeal. To express the just chastisement of those who give way to the second degree of anger — i.e, y of showing their hate by angry or contemptuous words — Jesus Christ places it within the power of what is most severe and inflexible amongst men, which is the extreme rigour of the sovereign National Council.

Then comes the last degree, which was to offer atrocious insults, such as to call one’s brother c thou fool' 5 1 and for this offence there was nothing human left by which to express the vengeance it deserves except a valley near Jerusalem, held as abominable, and called i the valley of corpses and cinders.’ It was there that, in the days when the people of God were given up to idolatry, the Israelites burnt their children 1 4 An expression then looked upon as a heinous injury, when uttered with contempt, spite or malice.* {Note in Douay Version.)

in honour of the infamous idol Moloch, and where they then threw their cinders and halfburnt bodies.

Tradition further declared that the corpses of Sennacherib’s soldiers had been thrown there in a heap, so that the valley swarmed with worms that had come out of their corpses, which were also half burnt and marked with fire. This place was called c the valley of the son of Ennom — or of Benennom — * ; 1 whence, by change of B to G, we get Gehennom — Gehenna — Gehenne ; by which word hell — the hell of the lost, with its devouring flames and gnawing worms — was afterwards expressed ; of which our Saviour says that i their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished.’

It is, then, to this valley of corpses — also called the valley of death — that Jesus Christ compares the frightful punishment of those who treat their brethren as madmen and fools. If He decrees such a punishment for insults only, how must those be tormented who strike and kill ? The Son of God does not even mention such, as not choosing to suppose that they could exist among His own people ; but is content with leaving it to be inferred how acts of violence 1 2 Kings xxiii. io ; 2 Paral. xxviii. 3.

will be punished, when words alone are subject to such terrible rigour.

Let us, therefore, weigh carefully each of our words, since they are weighed with such exactness in the supreme judgment of God.

fourteenth 2>as Reconciliation . — Matt. v. 23-26 E come now to a further beautiful and grand commandment, which makes us understand how God loves peace, when He orders us, as He does, to be reconciled with our brother before we approach the altar. He will not receive any offering that is made by a heart full of resentment or by hands inclined to vengeance.

We ought very specially to notice this saying : 4 If thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee.’ It is not only when you have given him cause for displeasure, but if he has merely taken ill something you have done, that you must try to come to friendly terms with him ; and this, lest you should perhaps come to hate him if you found that he hated you. The first gift that we must offer to God is a heart free from all coldness and all unkindness towards our fellow-men. And we should [ S 3 ] not even wait for the Day of Communion. The actual day of oblation, when we shall be assisting together — or even alone — at the Holy Sacrifice, ought to be preceded by reconciliation.

But we must carry the love of peace yet farther, for St Paul says, 4 Let not the sun go down upon your anger.’ 1 The darkness would increase our vexation, our anger would return as we woke, and become more bitter. Dark and melancholy passions — amongst which are hate, revenge, and jealousy — grow stronger in the night hours, just as wounds and some kinds of diseases do.

In quarrels, law -suits, and every kind of dissension, we 4 deliver ’ one another to 4 the officer,’ because we mutually offend each other : — therefore we have reason to fear lest we be cast into that 4 prison ’ whence we shall not go out 4 till we re-pay the last farthing ,’ 2 according to the strictest justice. We should therefore come to some voluntary agreement, rather than appeal to a verdict which will serve to increase our bitterness. This is a point to be seriously considered.

St Augustine says that this 4 adversary ’ with whom we are 4 to be at agreement betimes,’ 1 Ephcs. iv. 26. 2 Matt. v. 25, 26.