#DAYLIGHT
– Daily #MenOfLight#GospelReflection
October
16, 2019
Wednesday
of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel:
Luke 11: 42 - 46
Sharer:
Bro. Mike Lapid
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The Gospel
42 Woe to you
Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you
pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done,
without overlooking the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You
love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. 44 Woe
to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”45 Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” 46 And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.
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Reflection
Unmarked Graves
In our reading today, we see
Jesus sternly warning the scribes and pharisees. At that time, scribes and pharisees
were members of the religious elite who played a prominent role in the
religious life of the country. Pharisees were lay people who were very much
involved in the religious affairs of local communities especially in their
synagogues. Scribes, also called scholars and lawyers, were on the other hand,
experts of the Law of Moses. They, too played an important role in the
religious formation of Israelite society as they guided everyone regarding the
interpretation of the Law.
Notwithstanding their
prominent role in society, Jesus sternly warns them and exposes their wrongdoing.
First, Jesus singles out the Pharisees who focus much of their attention on
tithes, offerings and other small details but neglect what is most important
which is to do what is just and to love God above everything else. In effect,
Jesus was telling them that they have disregarded the two great commandments of
the law which is to love God above all else and to love one’s neighbor by being
just and fair to all. Moreover, Jesus points out their inordinate need and
desire to be seen and be praised by people by choosing seats and places of
honor where they could be acknowledged by everyone. Then, Jesus also gives his
warning to the scribes whom he accuses of imposing on people burdens that are
hard to carry but would not lift a finger to help them.
What does this reading tell
us?
First, it tells us that the
practice of our faith should bring about love and justice; it is love for God
above all else and love for our fellowmen by being just and fair in our relationship
with them. Without growing in love, our faith becomes merely ritualistic and
cultic. We can do everything that religion tells us to do; its rituals and its
practices. But if we do not grow in love and justice, then our faith doesn’t
make sense at all. It is this disregard for justice and the love of God for
which Jesus criticized the Pharisees. How can we even tell God that we love
him, when we are not fair to our neighbor? How can we claim to be righteous
when we remain indifferent to the plight of the poor and to those who suffer
injustice? The heart of the commandment is love. Until we grow in love, all
else, including our religion, become meaningless.
Second, the practice of our
faith is not a show. We express our faith outwardly. We make the sign of the
cross, we pray the rosary and go to Mass. We manifest our faith through our
actions. But these outward manifestations of our faith are not meant to impress
others. Jesus accuses the Pharisees for making a show of their faith and for
trying to make a good impression on others through their religious practices.
Third, Jesus accuses the
scribes for imposing burdens on others without them even helping others to
overcome these burdens. Our faith is one of compassion. Jesus came to unburden
us of all our sins by carrying them himself. He knew the burdens we had to
carry, so he carried them himself for our sake. Let us not make things
difficult for others to understand our faith. Our faith is beautiful and
simple. We have to help our fellowmen understand and love our faith so that
they can live the life that God offers each and everyone of us.
By the end of our reading,
Jesus gives us a stark visualization of what happens to people who behave like
the Pharisees and scribes. He tells the Pharisees that they are like unmarked
graves over which people unknowingly walk (v. 44). Unmarked graves are graves
of the dead who remain unknown and forgotten. Nobody remembers them. Nobody
would ever come to visit them.
When the practice of faith
and religion becomes a mere external show, then people become in the end,
unmarked graves. Nobody remembers them, not even for the grand show of piety
that they have put up to impress. Such is the fate of those who use religion to
advance personal interests.
However, when faith becomes
an expression of true love for God and one’s neighbor, then people will
remember. People who have lived loving and compassionate lives need not fear of
being forgotten when they die. They will not become unmarked graves over which
people unknowingly walk. Their memory will live long after they have died
because they have lived loving and compassionate lives.
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Prayer
Dear Lord, I have never
missed Mass in my life. Nor have I missed praying the rosary or saying prayers
day and night. I have dutifully attended to all my obligations in church.
Today, however, you tell me that this is not enough. You ask me if I have
indeed grown in my faith by growing in love for you and my fellowmen. Grant me
Lord a faith that does justice; a faith that has compassion for the weak and
the poor; a faith that seeks to grow in love. Amen.
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Assignment
1.
Do an act of
kindness today to people who may be suffering.
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Quote
People who make faith and
religion a mere external show become unmarked graves in the end.
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