Mt 5:20-26 I Give You a New Commandment

"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."

How many of us come to church with a grievance, anger, or annoyance with someone else?  This is such a hard thing to wrap our minds around.  If we come to the church and we have something on our mind keeping us from fully being present to Christ, we should leave our gift at the altar and go be reconciled?  A friend asked whether this meant that we should leave church, or even not receive communion. 

Perhaps this is simply a reminder that we need to put ourselves in order, as it were, to be prepared to be in full communion with God, and that things that creep into our mind will keep us from doing that.  Should we stop receiving communion until we have seen a priest?  It depends, always best to talk to a priest, however, if we are plagued with venial sins, then the Eucharist acts as something to sustain us until we can absolved of our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation. 

The advice that Jesus gives is pretty important too.  He says that we should go and become reconciled with our brother.  When we do this, there is great love that is shared.  Where there is love, there is God, for God is love, and where to or more are gathered in his name, God is there.  So, in a sense, when we reconcile ourselves with others we are living in the present moment with them and with God, in full communion, which is the point of going to the altar to offer our gift, which in both cases is the gift of ourselves.