MY daily reflection and prayer:
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to Matthew 23:23-26
Jesus Christ said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
THE Gospel today tells us that Jesus Christ rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for they fallen into legalism and forgot the true purpose of the law. They observed the letter of the law and forgot the meaning of the law. Jesus challenged them to dedicate their lives to the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith.
What are the weightier matters of the law we must dedicate? Jesus Christ speaks of justice and mercy and faith. When we neglect these, we are distorting true religion, for true religion is not a question of formalisms and actions to appease God, but rather of turning our hearts to his word.
Jesus Christ then invites us to make our hearts more like his, in charity and mercy toward others. So many times we miss the most important things and work only at side issues. We often try to please God in the wrong way, by supposing we are doing his will when really we are only doing our own will instead. We often forget the true essence of devotion to the law of God. We often forget to dedicate our lives to weightier matters rather than mere appearances.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist, while worshipping Jesus Christ we ask him to purify our heart, soul and mind so that we can serve with purity of intention. We realize that sometimes we work only to present an appearance to others, to appear virtuous and holy, but inside we are filled with negative judgments to others.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you know what is in our heart. Purify it and recast it in the image of your divine heart, so that we may love you and love others as you love them. May our actions each day be inspired by mercy, justice and faith now and for ever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
