THE WORD
Gal 5,18-25 / Lk 11,42-46
Jesus said, “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the few said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourself do not lift one finger to touch them.
IN OTHER WORDS
Recently, the Christ the King Mission Seminary celebrated their annual Philosophy Week with the theme, Pope Francis’ Philosophy: Church of the Poor and for the Poor. One of the highlights of that event was the symposium. While listening to the speaker, I was struck with what he said, “Do not feel proud of yourself just because you give food to a street child. The child doesn’t owe you anything and it does not make you greater than he is or to any other person. Actually you are just giving what is really for him.”
Pride is the most dangerous way to sin. Once the person has that kind of attitude he will then shift his focus from God towards his own self and selfish desires. This happened to the Pharisees and to the teachers of the Law. As priests and experts of the Law they should have had a deeper relationship with the Father. However, because of their self-interest and thirst for fame and praise they became insensitive to the needs of others. Moreover, they could not even recognize the presence and love of God in the person of Jesus Christ. They were totally lost!
Now, the challenge for us is to be pure in our actions and intentions. We should remind ourselves that we are nothing without the grace of God and that our actions should be founded on Agape and on our faith. In this way we become true Christians, being one in His love and His mission.
- Sem. Gelasio Joseph P. Bagacay | CKMS, Quezon City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
