(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
I like the sayings of Jewish rabbis. They have, in my esteem, the same good reputation that the Desert Fathers of the early Christian church have. This is an example. To call someone Raqa would be, in the eyes of the rabbis, to insult the one who made the person called Raqa. In English that would like calling somebody a no-brained, ugly, valueless hunk of wet plaster. Since, in the rabbis’ opinion, God does not make junk, this would be considered a high insult to God. Such complete lack of respect for another would be like killing that other.
I wonder how many of us, in the last election, would have considered the person we did not vote for Raqa. Perhaps this is the reason that we have such division in the nation and among ourselves, that we do not respect one another.
What would happen if we were to leave our gift at the altar and go first to seek reconciliation with the other? Remember that our Scripture passages speak first us who hear or read them before they speak to others in our own circles or beyond our circles to the national or international levels.
For each of us, the question to ask is how does the Scripture passage call me to respond to other people with respect?