TODAYS REFLECTION WITH Fr John Michael Talbot Matthew 23:23-26 Jesus said, ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! Straining out gnats and swallowing camels! ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.’ I have been bringing the Catholic and apostolic message for years, but the scribes and Pharisees of Christianity are alive and well, and do their best to silence any voices that threaten their little kingdoms. Be it Catholic or Evangelical, Contemporary Christian or Liturgical Music, the scribes and Pharisees still try to silence those not exactly like them. ( The reference to cleaning the outside of the cup while remaining filthy within has special liturgical significance) For myself, I have been relegated to being a voice crying out in the wilderness and find myself a Catholic and Christian in virtual exile. Though many still are ministered to be what I do in Christ, the mainstream still keeps my message safely at a distance. Instead of conforming others to our image, we should all be striving to conform people into the image of Christ, to be more like Christ, or Christian. But this phenomenon of the scribe and the Pharisee is also a grace. Jesus experienced this phenomenon from those of His own Jewish faith, and we are allowed to experience something similar from those of our own Catholic and Christian faith. It is an honor to be treated similarly to the way Jesus was treated. Do we still encounter the scribes and Pharisees today? Do we see it as a grace from God?
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 07:20:33 +0000
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