The Good Of Reconciliation

Esto consentiens adversario tuo cito dum es in via cum eo: ne forte tradat te adversarius judici, et judex tradat te ministro: et in carcerem mittaris. Amen dico tibi, non exies inde, donec reddas novissimum quadrantem. Ne forte. Ideo dum es in via debes reconciliari. Ne forte tradat te adversarius, id est sit causa quare tradaris Judici, id est Deo. Et judex ministro, id est angelo messori, etc. Vel aliter: Adversarius est divinus sermo, qui nostrae carnis voluptatibus adversatur: et quandiu est ille adversarius noster quem laesimus, et divinus sermo. Jubet ergo, ut sit consentiens ille qui laesit divino sermoni, qui praecipit diligere adversarios nostros, et eis reconciliari, ne similiter sit causa quare tradatur judici: quadrantem vocat minima peccata, quia quadrans genus est nummi qui habet duo minuta. Quasi diceret: Donec persolvat, id est luat etiam minima peccata, quod nunquam erit. Vel novissimus quadrans dicitur terra, quia quatuor sunt elementa: inferior quadrans est terra et deterior; ignis enim significat charitatem, aer vitam nostram, aqua baptismum, terra omnem corruptionem, et hoc est: Donec persolvat novissimum quadrantem, id est omnia peccata quae per terram designantur. Anselmus Laudunensis, Enarrationes In Matthaeum, Caput V Source: Migne PL 162.1296-1297

Come to an agreement with your adversary quickly whilst you are on the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you are thrown into prison. Truly I tell you you shall not go out from there until you have paid the last penny. 1 'Lest perhaps'. Therefore while you are on the way you should be reconciled. Lest perhaps the adversary deliver you, that is, there be a reason for you to be delivered to the judge, who is God. And the judge gives you to the officer, who is the angel who reaps. Or otherwise: The adversary is the Divine word, which is adverse to the pleasures of our flesh, and as long as He is our adversary it is Him we wound, even the Divine word. He exhorts, therefore, that a man might be aware who injures the Divine word, that commands us to love our enemies, and to be reconciled with them, lest for a similar reason we be delivered to the judge. And He calls the least sin a penny because the penny is a coin which is very small. It is as if He said: 'Until you pay, that is, are cleansed of the least sin, which will never be.' Or the last penny is the earth, because there are four elements. The last penny is the earth and it is the worst, fire signifies charity, air our life, water baptism, the earth every corruption. And this is 'until you pay the last penny,' that is, for every sin that the earth signifies. Anselm of Laon, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.25-26