| (Galatians 5:18-25;Luke 11:42-46) |
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For the past few days, the readings most especially the gospel wants us to be wise in religion and religious matters. In our text today, Jesus focuses his attention on religious leaders. In doing so, he accuses them of the following:
1) They have misinterpreted the spirit of the Law, making the Law a heavy burden for God-fearing common people. Jesus gives the Law of tithing as an example. God intended tithing for His people as an expression of their gratitude to a providing for God (Dt 14:22; Lv 27:30). The scribes instructed the people to pay tithes on insignificant things, such as kitchen-garden plants, with great mathematical accuracy, but they themselves neglected justice and love of God in their private lives.
2) The second accusation is that the scribes and the Pharisees are notorious for their status-seeking. They demand that the common people give them special honours because of their expertise in Mosaic Law and faithful religious observance. As a mark of respect, they are to be given front seats in the synagogue and public greetings in the streets.
3) Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees to the white-washed tombs on the sides of the road leading to Jerusalem.
In preparation for the three major Jewish feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, the scribes and Pharisees used to have the tombs whitewashed, so that the pilgrims would not be ritually defiled by unknowingly walking over one. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of moral filth, of hiding injustice and immorality inside themselves and of covering the corruption with pretensions of piety and religious fervor. Thus, they contaminate others with their rotten and dangerous ideas of God’s demands.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the sole essence of religion is to love God, discover Him in everyone. The basic principles of the Ten Commandments are respect and reverence based on the love of God and neighbor. When we learn to reverence God, His holy Name and His holy Day and to respect our parents, elders, and everyone else, their lives, their goods and their good names, we practice true religion without hypocrisy or selfish interests. 2) True love is selfless, sacrificial, and serving, encouraging us to help lift the burdens of others.
Pax Vobis
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,
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