Gospel: Matthew 23:23-26
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You do not forget the mint, anise and cumin seeds when you demand the tenth 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.
Reflection:
"Purify the inside first, then the outside, too, will be purified."
Fine detail is important, but if the fundamentals are wrong or missing, no amount of fine tuning will make it right. For example, the fruit of a combined effort of various countries was to send a probe to Mars. After years of precision work, the project ended in failure, with the probe exploding in space, as the teams had used different units of measure to build the components. Likewise, if we ignore or mess up the fundamentals of our faith, no amount of devotions will bring integrity to our lives. This is Christ’s criticism of the Pharisees, who dedicate so much attention to following the tiniest prescription of the Law, while ignoring the bedrock of that Law: justice, mercy and faith. So is there a consistency and coherence in my life? Does my prayer life connect to my actions? Does my faith underpin my life choices or is there a split between my religious practice and my dealings with others at work or at home? The small stuff is important, but only after we’ve made sure
the big stuff is in place.
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