After
rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus turns to his disciples, issuing them a stern
warning, telling them not be led astray by the Pharisees, who live by double
standards. The Pharisees are concerned
with the outward appearance of being holy, but they neglect their inner
spiritual lives & judge others harshly by these same outward
standards. The Pharisees may look holy
through their outward practices & their elegant robes, but appearances can
be deceiving. The disciples may have
been confused by Jesus’ comment since they may not have yet seen the Pharisees
for who they really were.
In our second reading from the letter
to the Romans, Paul tells us that Abraham was justified, declared good by God,
for his faith. Abraham was blessed
because of his trust in God’s promise, not because of his own accomplishments,
no matter how good they might have been. Like our Gospel reading, the emphasis is on our interior lives, on the way we connect with God and live out our faith with the graces that God bestows on us.
As we will soon get the new English
translation of the Roman Missal, we are trying to emphasize the importance of the
liturgy connecting to our lives, in reflecting the truths of God which we
profess. In other words, our liturgy and
our lives should dialogue with one another and should reflect what is going on
in our interior spiritual lives. Our
liturgy should not be an empty, hollow outward gesture, but should instead have
deep meaning for us, and should lead us to living out the Gospel in our lives.
May we pray that our outward gestures
& worship of God be a reflection of our faith & a reflection of the way
we live our lives. May we stay away from
hypocrisy and double standards. May our
hearts always reach out to God in sincerity & humbleness.
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