22-Aug-16

Gospel MT 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it.”
Reflection:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites."
Here is a strong condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees by Jesus.
The word "Woe" conveys both a curse and heartbreak.
The word "Hypocrite" translates as someone who is an impostor: pretending to be something they're not.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated."
Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of attaching more importance to the gold in the church than they do for the church itself.
He sees that they are more impressed with and devoted to the trappings, treasures and man-made laws of their religion than they are to the very God whom they profess to worship.
Jesus was angry but also deeply saddened.
The scribes and Pharisees were not only blind to authentic love and worship of God, but were leading others down the same disastrous path.
The lessons in Jesus' words are there for all to see.
It has never been God's desire that His church become a repository of wealth but rather a dispensary of charity.
God is not the arbiter of man-made religious traditions and laws; He is a comforter to the sorrowful sinner.
God is not impressed with the value of the gift we place in the collection basket or of our strict obedience of man-made religious rules and traditions.
However, God, Our Loving Father, is deeply pleased by the love we have for Him and forone another, which motivates us to sacrifice our time, talent and treasure for the sake of His children in need.
"Love is more than sweetness and affection. To love is to sacrifice for and suffer with another." - - Unknown