What Gifts?

In one of the most challenging passages of the Sermon on the Mount, read as today's Gospel, Jesus tells us to hold off on presenting our gifts to the altar and be first reconciled with our brother. (cf. Mt 5: 23-24).  What are these gifts that we bring?  Yes, the bread and wine, but also our joy, pain, sorrow, our desire to give ourselves totally  to our families, community, our gratitude, our hope  to be transformed and to transform the world around us.  These are great gifts. ones we would not want to be muddled in the mire of a dispute or feeling of uncomfortableness because of differences of opinion or political stance.  Life is too short to hold on to grudges or to let politics, of all things, stand between us and our "brother".  May we clear the deck as soon as we can, so we can freely and purely bring our beautiful gifts to God.
Bro Rene