TRUE DISCIPLESHIP
As His
disciples, we are called to be as kind and generous as He is…
There
is a big difference between a bribe and a gift. A bribe is some kind of payment
given with the view of perverting the judgment or corrupting the conduct of a
person in a position of power. A bribe, rather than being a generous act, is
really a selfish one. A gift is an expression of love with no strings attached.
One who gives a gift in the proper spirit does not do so in order to receive
something in return.
The
people to whom Isaiah preached looked upon God as someone with a lot of power
whom they could bribe. Despite their lack of genuine piety, they expected to
win favors from God by bribing Him with meaningless prayers and sacrifices. You
may wonder how the people could have so deceived themselves. The answer is that
they had allowed themselves to be influenced by the approach of their pagan
neighbors to their gods.
Isaiah
was warning the people that they must be different from the pagans and their
perverse view of religion. The blunt, almost shocking, words of Jesus in the
Gospel have much the same purpose. His point about coming to spread division,
even within families, was His way of stating emphatically that His followers
must not allow themselves to be influenced by anyone who would turn them away
from sound religion.
What
influences us today? Our media, TV, someone who might want to push their own
agenda, or want you to only see it their way, our government leaders, and so on
and so on. We need to truly discern what truth is and what we should believe
in, and to truly know ourselves and our relationship with our God. The love of
God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives. To place any
relationship or anything else above God, we as Christians know is a form of
idolatry. A true disciple loves God above all else and is willing to forsake
all for Jesus. Jesus insists that His disciples give Him the loyalty which is
due only to God, a loyalty which is higher than even that due our families.
True
love for God compels us to express charity towards our neighbor who is created
in the image and likeness of God. Jesus declared that those who show any
kindness and give any help to God's people will not lose the reward waiting for
them. Jesus never refused to give to anyone in need who asked for His help. As
His disciples, we are called to be as kind and generous as He is, and to share
the truth that comes from the Gospel in a world that needs to hear it. We as
Christians can truly influence the world to the truth by proclaiming it daily
from our lips, "What a true gift!" Jesus sets before us the one goal
in life that is worth any sacrifice, and that goal is the will of God which
produces real life and ultimate and completely satisfying peace.
We
prayed today in the responsorial psalm, "It's to the upright I will show
the saving power of God" (Ps 50). Our heavenly Father does not need our
sacrifices, our offerings, our money, or our blood. God wants the sincerity of
our devotion and the love of our hearts!