There’s an old saying that goes, “Honesty is the best
policy.” There’s also a saying that goes, “If you talk the talk, you better
walk the walk.” I believe that this is what Jesus is talking about here in
today’s Gospel. The Pharisees claimed to be good and holy men, following the
teachings of God handed down to them by Moses. They were always sitting in the
best seats and places of honor at the synagogues. In Luke, chapter 11 verse 43, we hear Jesus say to the Pharisees, “You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk” Jesus saw them for who they really were: hateful and
judgmental men who condemned those around them that weren’t following God in
the way they felt that they should. The Pharisees were forgetting the two-fold
aspect of the commandments: Love of God and Love of neighbor.
Jesus is calling us to something greater than just
following out our faith here in Church. It is great that we can be at daily and
Sunday mass as often as we are. Daily Mass and frequent time going to
confession are important aspects of who we are as Catholic Christians. We get
the spiritual nourishment that we need to be able to leave here and to take the
love that God has shown us to those in our lives at home and in our families.
Our relationship with God needs to be deeper than just what we do daily at
church. We need to show others in our lives that God loves them. We need to do
this without judging how they live out their lives. Our love for them must be
unconditional, as God’s love is unconditional for all of us.
In all our relationships, whether it’s with God or
with those we encounter daily, needs to be open and honest. We can’t be
hypocritical in how we live out our lives. Part of that honesty is to not only
to proclaim that we love God and are doing everything that He expects us to do
according to His teaching with regards to the practice of our faith. We are
called to bring that love of God to all people in our lives with honesty and
respect. Sometimes bringing that love requires just being a good listener to
someone going through a hard time, or just by being a good friend to someone
who needs a friend.
As you leave here today, remember the words of Jesus
in the gospel, “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” Bring
that love of God to all you meet today.
Nicely said. 😊 Let these words remind us that practicing our Faith is not limited within the church walls or the ministries we are involved in our parishes. Through our baptism, we are all call to evangelize, to bring our faith, through words and deeds, to all those we encounter outside the church walls, all those we encounter in our daily lives. “Lord, may the Holy Spirt allow us to see our fears and strengthened us to go outside the walls of our parishes to proclaim the “Good News” and to serve all those we encounter on a daily basis.” Amen 🙏
ReplyDeleteAmen.
DeleteYes, being a good Catholic/Christian is a lot more than what we do in Church. Mass & God's Word & the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, are central to our faith, & ministry, especially our various Liturgical ministries,is a great joy. But what we do in our religious practice should flow out into what we do in our everyday lives, especially in the way we treat others. We are called not only to listen to the Gospel & carry out religious rituals. We are called to LIVE the Gospel. Christianity is not merely a religion, but it is a relationship with the Triune God centered in the Person of JESUS CHRIST & allowing His Holy Spirit to help us to love others as JESUS does & to act as JESUS would act. The way we live, pray & love other people should help to draw other people to know & love JESUS. There are some people for whom WE are the first Bible that they will ever read. A saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi is "Preach the Gospel always; when necessary, use words."
ReplyDeleteThe Pharisees started out good because they were trying to be especially& even scrupulously faithful to God's law, but they focused so much on what they & others were doing on the outside that they failed to realize that what God values most is what is happening on the inside & they did not realize that God's nature is primarily LOVE, first & foremost. Therefore, they were unable to accept God's love for them & others & instead of experiencing the freedom, love & mercy of God in JESUS & instead of feeling peace & relief, they felt threatened. Thankfully we read in the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles that many of the Pharisees were converted after Our LORD's Resurrection & Pentecost, & the greatest conversion of a Pharisee was the conversion of a Pharisee originally known as Saul of Tarsus whom we now know as the great apostle, St. Paul, who devoted the rest of his life to the Gospel in direct preaching & in his letters which encompass most of the New Testament. So there is hope for conversion of the inward Pharisee in us.