It is Gospel readings like this that really remind me that Jesus was God made man. I often think of him as a more mild-mannered, patient man, but Jesus was not afraid to tell it like it is. Like all of us, he must have been frustrated, impatient and, yes, angry when he came across what he saw as injustice or hypocrisy. The scribes and Pharisees bear the brunt of his words in the readings. It’s a lesson we can learn from today. We can’t just pay lip service to the Gospel’s message. We have to live it. Sitting in church each week and dutifully filling out our offertory envelope with a check is not enough. Certainly, those things are part of our life in the church. But we have to live the Gospel. We can’t be blind to our obligations to live our lives both in church and outside of church with love and compassion. Jesus knows it’s not easy for us. We have busy lives filled with so many things. But I need to remember that my faith is not just something to check off on a list and move on to something else. I need to infuse my life with the Gospel and live it as best I can every day. One way to do that might be making a new list.
- Time for prayer
- Time for the people around me
- Time for less grumbling and more helping,
- Time for saying thanks to God for all I have
I can make small steps in the effort to make my gifts to God sacred. I want to open my eyes and not be one of the blind fools or blind guides that Jesus berates in the Gospel. I pray that God helps me see what it is to live a life infused with the Gospel.
Carol Zuegner
Writing and reading the Daily Reflections helps me connect with my faith.
