Our Interior Conversion Is The Beginning of Holiness.
Dear Parishioners,
Evils like malice, deceit, violence of all kinds, and jealousy thrive when our hearts are distant from God. It also thrives when good laws are not enacted. We can agree that life without law is chaotic and unmanageable. Life with too much law can be repressive and dehumanizing. Today’s scripture gives us an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of law and the necessity of keeping a sound moral guideline.
Today’s society is besieged by so much trouble; endless wars, thriving abortion mills, poverty, hunger, sexual promiscuity and other social ills. It is not surprising that people’s minds and hearts are in disarray, and this has repercussions on the life of the Church and its outward manifestations. We watch with horror as the evils of war play before us: in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, and many parts of Africa. Endless cases of kidnapping and destruction of Christian churches in Nigeria and India leaves us numbed. In the recent months we witnessed an attempt to assassinate a former president, an act that left a trail of death and injuries. Our streets are not safe from gang activities and senseless abuse and domestic violence exist in many families. All these mayhems show how we disregard God’s commandment but cling to our human traditions.
In the Old Testament, God endows us with statutes and decrees to guide the society in ways that lead to happiness and peaceful coexistence with one another. The law of God is positive and life-giving. When the law is properly understood, it gives direction to life and certainty of God’s will and influences a positive social pattern of behavior. In this case, the law must be rooted in the love of God and be an expression of it. “It is a means and not an end in itself.”
Jesus, in today’s gospel, speaks against the legalistic spirit of the Pharisees. They were lost in the details of the prescription of the law to the extent of forgetting the true meaning of religion. Jesus accuses them of hypocrisy; the same applies to us. We allow lies and pretense to dominate our spirit. We argue and quarrel with each other, trying to correct practices that seem wrong to us or to impose practices that seem to be in line with the truth. This sort of behavior is a sign of our spiritual failures and inadequacies. Hence our prayer is useless, and our faith is mere human religiosity; it is no longer an expression of God’s word.
The Lord challenges us to re-examine our motives and how we live out the commandments. His response in the gospel today was aimed to awaking our consciousness. It was indeed a call to holiness and not a call to hypocrisy. He introduces a new age, a new way to worship and observe the decrees and statues of old. Jesus demands that we worship God in spirit and truth. Our worship must start from within. Our interior conversion is the beginning of holiness. External things like rituals do not transform a person but rather create an atmosphere for true worship.
But first you must believe. Jesus says, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within, and they defile.” Therefore, it is faith, not external practices, that purifies the heart lest we forget.
I often wonder if my life scandalizes others. What about you? Have you taken time to examine yourself and ponder over this issue? When Jesus accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy, he speaks to me too. He challenges me to sit up and do better. He summons all of us to live a better life and adhere to the faith we all professed. He also speaks to the world, calling humanity to live a life of God’s children. Our culture of death must give way to a culture of life, happiness and peace.
Sincerely Yours In the Lord,
Fr. Vitalis Anyanike, Pastor
