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Gospel Reading for August 26, 2024 – Matthew 23: 13-22
ANCHOR
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.”
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Clearly, this is one of those times when Jesus sounded angry and frustrated at the scribes and Pharisees and pointed out their hypocrisy. Who wouldn’t when they made the practice of religion a burden and all about money? They pass on to the people how they perceive God and worst, were not practicing what they preached. In short, they were a STUMBLING BLOCK to Jesus’ work of salvation.
One of the reasons why Jesus was a crowd drawer was because what he preached was very different from that of the scribes and Pharisees. While Jesus was preaching a loving and forgiving Father God, they were picturing a God so different from how he is described in Exodus 34: 6: “. . . The Lord, the Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity.” They always criticized Jesus for dining with publicly known sinners, for healing sick people on a Sabbath, etc.. The practice of religion was a DRUDGERY, the opposite of what Jesus was preaching.
When we practice our religion with hypocrisy, trying to make a good impression on people and make ourselves look very pious and holy when in fact, deep down inside we harbor ill feelings, evil thoughts, and negative things against others; when we give donations to the Church, feeling proud we are able to give, or give to kill the guilt feelings for sins we have done; or when we go to Church just to fulfill an obligation, it makes the practice truly a DRUDGERY.
Religion is meant to give us purpose in life and show us the right direction to take. It is meant to uplift us and connect our spirit to the Divine. This way, we have God as our ANCHOR that stabilizes us in the midst of uncertainties and challenges in life.
“Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me by your fidelity and teach me, for you are God my savior, for you I wait all the day long.” (Psalm 25: 4-5)
