#DAYLIGHT – Daily
#MenOfLight#GospelReflection
August 28, 2019
Wednesday of the 21st
Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mt 23: 27 - 32
Sharer: Bro. Mike Lapid
++++++++++++++++++++++
The Gospel
27 “Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which
appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and
every kind of filth. 28 Even so, on the outside you appear
righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ 31 Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; 32 now fill up what your ancestors measured out!
++++++++++++++++++++++
REFLECTION
People of the Lie
In today’s reading, Jesus
addresses the scribes and Pharisees and calls them hypocrites. At that time,
scribes and Pharisees were part of the religious elite. They knew the
commandments of the Lord by heart. They taught and guided people to love the
laws of God and played a vital role in the religious life of Israel.
Notwithstanding their high
status in religious circles, Jesus calls them hypocrites which is a very strong
derogatory word. No one perhaps in those days had the courage to call them hypocrites.
But Jesus did. Jesus compared them to whitewashed tombs that appeared beautiful
on the outside but rotten and filthy on the inside. He described them as people
who were filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. In other words, they were evil and
Jesus was there to unmask this evil.
Jesus’ use of strong
derogatory language against the scribes and Pharisees did not sit well with
them. In fact, Jesus’ critical voice brought out into the light the evil that
was inside their hearts as they plotted and conspired to condemn Jesus to die
on the cross. Only people who are evil could have the guts to condemn an innocent
man to death and still feel that what they have done is right.
This reading, moreover, also
gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is. While Jesus doesn’t condemn sinners and all
their wickedness, he seems to be intolerant of hypocrisy. He seems intolerant
of those who put up a show of their righteousness before men but who, in
reality, are evil to the core. It seems that these people will never get to repent
about anything because they are blind to their own faults.
How then should this reading
affect us?
First, it should be clear to
us that we cannot hide anything from the Lord. The Lord knows us through and
through. He knows what is in our hearts; our motives, our inclinations, the
desires of our hearts and our sinfulness. There is no sense in trying to hide
anything from the Lord who knows everything. When we pray in front of the Lord,
we should open up ourselves to the Lord who knows all our weaknesses and
failures and with great candor speak to the Lord about our personal struggles
in life. This makes us humble and sincere before the Lord.
Second, there is always our
human tendency to make a show of our righteousness. Like the scribes and
Pharisees, we are tempted to project to others that we are fine and good
people; that we are devout and religious; that we are generous, caring and
giving; that we are oh, so good and deserving of praise and affirmation from
the people around us.
Unfortunately, when we put
up a show of our good deeds to impress people, to please them and to create a
positive image of ourselves in society, we end up manipulating the minds of
people whom we want to impress. Hypocrisy is a kind of manipulation because we
project to others what is not real and true. Unfortunately, there is another
word for what is not real and true – it is called a lie. Hypocrites are people
living a lie; indeed, they are people of the lie who have put up something
which is not true and real. The biggest tragedy of hypocrites is that they
think they can even fool God with their lies. Not so, the wicked not so, says
Psalm 1; they are like chaff that the wind drives away. This is why perhaps
Jesus was ever so intolerant of hypocrites because they will never be able to stand
when judgment comes.
++++++++++++++++++++++
PRAYER
Jesus, you know me through
and through. You know my thoughts, my words and my actions. There is nothing
that remains hidden, nothing that you do not know. Yet, despite of this, I
always have the tendency to make a show of what is good in me, seeking the
affirmation of people around me. At times, I end up not being real in what I
show people because it is not really who I am. Help me Lord not to live the lie
of hypocrisy. Purify my heart , Lord. Guide me so that I may be humble and
sincere of heart. Amen.
++++++++++++++++++++++
ASSIGNMENT
Pray Psalm 139.
Quietly and peacefully
reflect on how God knows you perfectly well.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Comments
Post a Comment