DEEPEN GOD'S LOVE
The center of
the following of Jesus Christ is the love of God and love of neighbor… How do
my worries help deepen my love for God and others?
"Woe
is me" is more than a personal cry. In today's Gospel, we hear Jesus say,
"Woe to you..." as He laments over the religious leaders whose
spirits have died. They cling to values that block the way to the joy of God's
Kingdom. Please take time to read and listen carefully to the words in
Matthew's Gospel (Mt 23:13 - 22). Before we use this Scripture as though we are
on patrol to expose the hypocrisy and inconsistencies in the lives of those
around us, let us be careful not to miss how God's Word is speaking to us.
We
need Jesus Christ to search the dark corners of the Church's life and our own
faith journey. Encouraged by Pope Francis and his desire for the Church to not
focus on a few issues at the exclusion of the joy of the gospel, we can ask
ourselves these questions: Do I spend valuable energy splitting hairs over how
to fulfill a law? Do I worry uselessly over whether someone stands, sits, or
kneels during the Liturgy? Oftentimes, we can make the fulfillment of laws the
whole point of a Christians life when, in reality, they are only justified
insofar as they help lead us to God.
As
we've heard recently in these daily readings, the center of the following of
Jesus Christ is the love of God and love of neighbor. It's always more worth
while to turn the warnings at ourselves rather than spending effort in finding
out who else is guilty.
How
do my worries help deepen my love for God and others?