"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and
herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you
ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees!
For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with
respect in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and
people walk over them without realizing it." One of the lawyers answered
him, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too." And he
said, "Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to
bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them.” (Luke 11: 42-46)
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I turn to you in
prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I
need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense
generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.
Petition: Lord, make my
heart more like yours.
1. Falling into the Same Trap: Do we ever find ourselves rooting for Jesus in this Gospel
passage? “Give it to ‘em hard, Lord! They deserve it!” We imagine ourselves
there in the scene—our arms sternly crossed, our heads shaking in disapproval
of those oh-so hypocritical Pharisees. Soon our thoughts turn to someone we
know who “should also receive a good verbal lashing!” Even a priest or a bishop
might be the subject of our mental reprimand. Yet we now find ourselves right
in the shoes of the very Pharisees we so deplore: Our hearts are embittered and
dry. Although we are able to condemn with the Lord, we do not love with the
Lord. We forget that Christ would lay down his life for these Pharisees he is
calling to conversion—even if they were the only ones who needed to be saved.
Pointing the finger is easy, but a call to conversion can come only from a
heart that loves.
2. The Grumpy Catholics Guild: Is there anyone who can’t find at least one thing wrong in their
parish or diocese?
One thing is to see, pray for, and help resolve these
difficulties. Another matter is to dwell on them. That is what the members of
the “Grumpy Catholics Guild” (GCG) do. This Gospel passage is the one exclusive
lens through which they view everything. For the Rosary, members of the GCG
pray the “Vengeful Mysteries”: Jesus curses the fig tree, Jesus clears the
temple, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees. Might I be an anonymous
member—or at least a supporter—of the GCG? Christ used hard words, but they were
only fruit of an intense love and longing for the scribes’ and Pharisees’
salvation, not an intense bitterness toward them. If I have any bitterness in
my heart, I need to ask Christ for the grace to forgive and to forgive as
Christ forgives.
3. Helping Hand: Our
Lord was the greatest teacher, the great pedagogue of the fullness of life: the
love of the Father. He knew how to bring souls along little by little, at their
pace and to the extent they were capable. The opposite is true of the lawyers
at the end of this Gospel passage. They would load restrictions, unwieldy
responsibilities and weighty sacrifices upon the people, but would not reach
out a helping hand to assist the people in carrying the weight. As Christians
we are called to help illuminate the consciences of those around us so that
they might have a closer relationship with God. However if illuminating their
consciences is merely our euphemism for “throwing the book at them”, we need to
stop and see if Christ’s words don’t apply to us as well: “For you load people
with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease
them.”
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, at times I look at my heart and see
that it is hard and bitter. It is ready to jump self-righteously at the first
opportunity to condemn someone else, but only so as to assure myself of my own
moral superiority. Grant me a heart, meek and humble like yours.
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