To the upright I will show the saving power of God. This was the responsorial refrain after the first reading today! It reminds us that we need to aim at making our words and our deeds; our very lives: upright in the sight of God, so that he in turn can show his saving power when we are in need of it.
This means, as the first reading tells us: washing ourselves clean! It means putting away misdeeds, ceasing doing evil and learning to do good; making justice our aim. Then when we have set things right, God will set things right for us: though our sins be as scarlet they will become white as snow, though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey (the will of God) then you shall eat the good things of the land; but if you refuse and resist, you will be consumed by the justice of God. These are serious words meant to be heard by us all!
In the gospel passage, Jesus tells his disciples that the scribes and Pharisees, though they know all about the mechanics of being good, just, and upright – in practice they do not do these things themselves. So he tells the disciples that their preaching is good for learning; but their example is bad for imitating.
The scribes and Pharisees loved exalting themselves – and having everyone else exalt them – being the religious symbols that they were; but God was not pleased with this outward show of vanity and vainglory. No doubt they would be dealt with harshly on the Last Day.
May we today live upright lives – in all humility, goodness and justice – and God will visit us and help us, and help others through us – and we shall continue during our Lenten journey to make for ourselves a new heart and a new spirit!
No comments:
Post a Comment