Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Pharisees

  • What influences me?

    What influences me?

    October 14, 2022 – Friday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101422.cfm)

    What usually influences me? There are many influences in our life. These influences can be in the form people who are significant in our life and so we could become dependent on what they tell us. This means that we could make life-decisions based on the influence of these significant persons in our life. We could be influenced also by our peers and close friends in terms of choices in life and ways of living. Depending on the trend our peers are following, then we could be carefree, careless or careful. We could be extravagant in our spending even beyond our financial capacity because we try to fit in with our group.

    In terms of our psychological state, our emotions can be easily influenced by chemical substances especially when it has become our habit to be drunk, to abuse drugs or indulge ourselves into some addictive behaviors. Our attitude towards people around us may also be influenced by our major emotional disposition. Meaning, we could just react out of our emotional impulse. With the surge of information we have in the social media, our “opinions” about politics, economics, religion, history etc. are also being influences by so-called “media influencers.”

    When we are surrounded also by mature people, a supportive circle of friends and an encouraging community, then, we are being helped to process our difficult experiences, understand our emotions and being led to discern and decide maturely. Indeed, we may not be constantly aware of these but our actions, words, thoughts and way of life are being influenced by the interweaving influences that we receive.

    Having all these influences in our life, as Christians, it is also good that we become aware of these so that our thoughts, our actions, our decisions and the way we respond to the realities of our life will be done in mature way, and in a way that we are able to embrace the inspiration from the Holy Spirit and become life-giving.

    This is how the Gospel today sheds significance into the many influences in our life. Jesus continued to denounce the behaviors and the evil intent of the Pharisees and scholars of the law. Jesus warned his disciples, “beware of the leaven, that is, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.” Jesus knew their hearts, corrupted and filled with malice.

    The “leaven,” which is typically a yeast, used for the dough to rise, is the very image employed by Jesus of the evil influence that these people bring into the hearts of many. The influence they bring would lead the people away from the grace of God. The strict observance of the law up to its minutes details, becomes the focus. Yet, showing mercy to the sinners and compassion to the sick and the weak is alien to that way of life.

    Thus, Jesus challenged them and their way of life that does not believe in the mercy of God. In fact, they cannot recognize God in Jesus because they were so full of themselves. Such influence can truly lead many away from God.

    Yet, St. Paul reminds us today, “In Christ we were also chosen… we were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.” This is the influence that the Lord wants us to realize today. Being chosen by the Lord means that God has already embraced us and accepted us because the Lord wants us and desires our redemption. This promise of the Holy Spirit is God’s presence in us and among us bringing us closer together as a community and allowing our person to grow.

    Therefore, we ask the Lord for the grace to make our hearts more attuned and warm to the influences that the Holy Spirit brings into our life. May our thoughts, our actions, and words be more influenced by the promptings of the Holy Spirit. May our relationships, our way of life and our daily dealings with people be influenced by the presence of God dwelling in us so that we may become life-giving people. Kabay pa.

  • Faith Working Through Love

    Faith Working Through Love

    October 13, 2020 – Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here fore the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101320.cfm)

    Homily

    As a human response of love, FAITH, (see https://adoseofgodtoday.com/2020/10/09/faith-a-human-response-of-love/) goes beyond obligation or from the letters of the law. What does it mean? To understand this better, let us see a bit deeper the encounter of Jesus with the Pharisee.

    In the today’s Gospel passage, Luke tells us that a Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him in his house. This Pharisee must have heard a lot about Jesus, his preaching and miracles. He wanted to see Jesus personally and to see the ways of Jesus. However, these group of people, Pharisees, were hostile to Jesus. They were always looking for faults in Jesus that they can use against him.

    The Pharisees were known in the Jewish society at that time of Jesus who observed strictly the traditional and written law of Moses. Indeed, they were known to follow the law up to its most trivial law like in washing before meal and of the dishes. However, these people were filled with pretentions and superiority. They developed such practices to be praised and recognized by the people.

    Thus, the integrity of their faith was in question. The sincerity of their action was doubtful. This was something that Jesus wanted them to realize. Jesus wanted this people to see that our relationship with God is not tied up in following the minutest detail of the law. Having faith is not about making others look us up because of the many trivial rituals we do. To have faith is never about becoming self-righteous and superior from others.

    Hence, Jesus confronted the Pharisee because Jesus knew his heart. The amazement of the Pharisee when Jesus did not observed the prescribed washing before the meal, was born out of disgust to a person who did not follow the law like him. However, this was the chance of Jesus to teach the Pharisee an important lesson.

    Jesus pointed out the plunder and evil in the heart of these people while making themselves good and honorable in front of the public. This means that what they were after was not to please and worship God but to make people worship them.

    What is more important is not our good image before the public but our heart that expresses our goodness, generosity and love.

    This is basically what St. Paul is telling us in his letter to the Galatians. Similar to the Pharisee, the Jewish Christians wanted to retain the law of circumcision for the non-Jewish Christians. They wanted the non-Jewish to submit to this law because they believed that they can only be a true believer if they observe such law like them. This became a conflict in the early Christian Community to which Paul intervened.

    Paul reminded them that “in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

    Only faith working through love! If faith does not do good to others but suppresses and restricts a person to become life-giving, then, it is not faith at all, but a self-serving belief. Because faith is a human response of love to God who first loved us, then, faith naturally expresses love to God and to others. When our actions and thoughts would only serve our ego, for the preservation of our good-image, to seek praise and approval from others, then, it is surely not of faith.

    This is what Jesus calls us today. Let our faith in Jesus express love and only love. Never be afraid to express love because when it is expressed it is surely liberating for us and for others. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR