Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
We live in a world where materialism and competition drive so much of our lives. Unfortunately, I find that these become underlying influences that affect many parts of my life. I even find myself at times doing things- good things- more for my own personal recognition and accomplishment and less for the service and glory of God. The reading today reminds me that Jesus wants me to not to live a life of hypocrisy like the Pharisees. If I am to live for Christ, I must be like the gift on the altar. I am called to give everything I am to God for His praise, glory and honor. Like gold, my life has value since I am God’s creation, but my true worth is found when I give my treasures to God. My life and all I have should find value in the recognition of God’s love for me, not in the praise and recognition of others and their opinions of me.
In today’s reading Jesus, criticizes the scribes and the Pharisees when He points out that they focus on the practices of their faith instead of the reason for these practices. There were over 600 laws or proscriptions that were found in the Torah. Jesus implies that the Pharisees enforced these laws but this did not bring people closer to God, and in fact “locked the Kingdom of Heaven before men” (Mt 23: 13) Jesus goes on to say that they place more importance on the gold and the gifts of the temple than the purpose of the temple itself- to reconcile with God and give Him praise and glory. The Pharisees took great pride in following the law to the last detail. Their strict observance brought them honor and prestige in the Jewish community. Although these laws were given for the Jewish people by God, they were meant to help the people to turn to the Lord for His mercy and protection. Instead the Pharisees were placing heavy burdens on the Jewish people by insisting that every law be followed to the letter. It almost appears that there is a competition as to who could be the best at following the law. Unfortunately, Jesus does not think the Pharisees were doing this because it was bringing them any closer to God, but only for their own personal gain and recognition.
As I read this reading, I could think of many times when I did something that was a good thing, but I now stop and wonder about why I did it. Do I focus more on the doing of a certain behavior (like the Pharisees focusing on the gold and the gift) instead of recognizing that the reason I should be doing all things is to do God’s will and thereby give Him glory? Am I like the Pharisees, where I seek the attention and praise of others as the reason that I perform certain actions? As human beings, we all crave the support and encouragement of others. We could not survive without this. But when we begin to judge our actions as being worthy or not by the opinions of others, then I think we fall into a trap of basing who we are and our value on what the world thinks, not what God does. Jesus uses gold and the gift on the altar as things of value, but He states that their value comes not from what they are, but how they are used- to show love and praise to God. I believe that Jesus calls me to the same. God created each of us because of His great love. It is because of this that we are precious. When we turn to Him, and offer our lives and all we are to Him, then we will become like the gold and the gift on the altar where the value we have is brought to fulfillment in the praise of God.
I know that this is not an easy task. I will need to frequently stop and be mindful of why I am doing what I am doing. I will also need to not crave the attention of others so much that I what I do or don’t do is swayed by their opinions. My thoughts, actions and words, will need to be based on what God’s desires for me and my response to His call. Even in the face of ridicule or just being ignored, I need to stay focused on God and His love for me. When I recognize that God’s love is infinite and eternal, then I have the freedom to live my life listening and following His call, since I will always be secure in His love. I will do things not because I need honor or recognition, but because I know that this is His will. I am best able to give God glory ad praise when I recognize God’s greatness and my dependence on Him. St. Paul’s prayer to the Thessalonians says it well: “We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him. (2 Thes 11-12) May we all be able to find our worth in the love of God and bring Him glory as we return that love by how we live our lives for Him.
"Heavenly Father, You give us Jesus as the perfect gift on the altar, and through Him we find salvation. May Your Spirit within us guide our lives that we may always seek to do your will and thereby give you praise and glory. We pray this through Christ, our LORD. AMEN"
- Marylynn Herchline