of everything; but then, you forget what is most fundamental in the law: justice, mercy and
faith! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides!
You strain out a mosquito, but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the cup, with theft and violence, and then
pronounce a blessing over them. Blind Pharisee! Purify the inside first, then the outside,
too, will be purified.

Reflect

“Healing from blindness.” Hypocrisy is blindness. A hypocrite is not able to see the truly
important things. Consequently, the hypocrite is preoccupied with the details of the things
that serve him/ her but unmindful of the basic things when serving others. A hypocrite is too
self-preoccupied, neglecting justice, mercy, and faith. When our hypocrisy is unmasked,
our preoccupation shifts from personal concerns to other people's concerns. Hence, when
we are no longer too preoccupied with ourselves, we grow in faith while exercising justice
and mercy. Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ ouai, his grief, over the blindness of the
teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Jesus was trying to offer them healing with regard
to their blindness but they would prefer to remain blind. As we proceed with our faith journey,
we become more aware of our own blindness which still prevents us from becoming more
caring and concerned about other people. We allow Jesus to unmask the part of ourselves
which is still blinded by too much self-preoccupation. Such unmasking could be painful,
or even fearful, but let us not forget that it is this same Jesus who sincerely and lovingly
journeys with us.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024