Give me Wisdom to know Your love and justice

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God.” In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 11:42-46), Jesus is saddened by the actions of the Pharisees and the scribes. The Pharisees are so worried about tithing every little thing that they overlook the major items like God’s justice and love. He is saddened because they are more concerned about where they are sitting in church then about sitting with God. The Pharisees were so focused on their outward image that they were neglecting their inner soul. When people see you, does your outside image reflect your inside image? Do you put on a fake façade to hide the real you? Jesus compared the Pharisees to an unkempt grave which had been overgrown – “Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.” According to the Pharisees, if a person were to touch a grave, it would make them “unclean.” Jesus tells the Pharisees that those who follow their hollow ways are becoming unclean. Jesus was also angry with the leaders because they were so focused on the little things that they completely missed the important things in life. The scribes had taken the Ten Commandments and divided and subdivided and redivided the Commandments that they ended up with literally thousands of little rules. It took everything they had just to verify that they were in compliance with all these laws that they had no time to focus on the love and justice of God. Jesus was mad because they completely missed the things that mattered most; the poor, the hungry and those in most need of their love. The rules became more of a reason not to associate with someone then as a reason to embrace all of God’s people. Today’s message tells us that the most important thing is love and justice. We must love everyone no matter what they have done and aide everyone who needs help no matter what their situation. God is love and God is supreme justice. We are made in God’s image; therefore, we should reflect this love and supreme justice for all.

A Simple Prayer Lord, give me Wisdom to know your love and justice. So that my love will be a beacon which guides others to your table and That my justice will be guided by your prudence.

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon