“You have heard that it was said to them of old: ‘Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement.’ But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgement. And whosoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”
O perfect love! The Lord here shows that every thought against love is placed alongside murder. Jesus is here taking the commandments of love to more sublime places, like a teacher moving a child from spelling to learning the Scriptures. So too does He take the commands of nature seen in the Law and move them to a command of love. “I say to you,” Love Itself says to you, that you must go far beyond not killing. It is not enough to avoid mortal sin, and not even to avoid venial sin, but to do all things from an abundance of love, so pouring forth from you that people know you are a Christian by your love: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (John 13:35). You bear the presence of the Trinity, and are the face of Jesus in the world today, thus He calls you to a lofty way of acting and thinking, that you may do justice to His image in you. All anger towards another is to be quenched in love, for Jesus later says, “Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and culminate you” (Matthew 5:44). Before moving into the three judgements listed, it is important here to note that the Lord does not ask of you anything that He does not do Himself. He wanted you to stop sinning that you may not be lost in things of the world and instead turn to His infinite merciful love. He is not angry with you, does not call you names, does not curse at you. His voice is loving and kind: “Love is patient, is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). He does not speak to you in a belittling way, but with sincere affection: “Behold thou art fair, O my love, behold thou art fair” (Song 1:14). “His throat,” that is, His voice and words, “most sweet, and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is my friend” (Song 5:16). Thus, in hearing His voice, you may know how to speak to others with the gentleness of God. This does not mean to leave all iniquity unaddressed, but to realize “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is sad” (Isaias 1:5), and to move into times when correction is necessary with compassion. Therefore, concerning anger, to feel anger is human, but to not act on it, letting love quench it is divine. Realize that “The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench” (Isaias 42:3), for His every action expresses love. To fume and move with indignation and impatience is to do an injustice to the merciful love you carry with you. To express it with exasperation, which is meant by “Raca,” is even more contrary to love. To heap up empty phrases showing that you’re tired of dealing with another person is not love, for how often have you deserved being dealt with harshly by the Lord, and He has drawn you back with loving compassion? To openly insult another, calling a child of your Father a fool or something of the sort, is warned to come with a strict punishment. Words cut to the heart, sometimes very deeply, and “by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). How beautiful a thing is the human tongue, that brings forth love, wisdom, praise, poetry; nothing shows the soul of a person like the words they say! How much of a glimpse into the very being of another does one have in hearing another speak: “Praise not a man before he speaketh, for this is the trial of men” (Ecclesiasticus 27:8); “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45). Your words can be a magnificent healing balm when they are said with the flame of the Holy Spirit. They can do incredible things for God, more than even great actions or meditation. With what love, then, are you called to use them! To hold your tongue when a temptation to use it idly or maliciously is better than fasting on bread and water, and to use it for deepening the love of God in others is of great value: “But he that prophesieth,” that is, to explain the mysteries of the faith, “speaketh to men unto edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). O the sheer grace, when your every word expresses your love of God! “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man” (James 3:2). Ah, what perfect love to be lifted up to a place where you steer such a force as the tongue to praise and love! Then you need not fear punishment, but live confidently for love and in love, for “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18).