Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23, 1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Being transparent
1) Binding load. Today Jesus could be talking to you; when you impose your own wishes and demand that things be done the way you want. This can even happen with friends or those people who claim to be your friends, but they just call you when they have a problem and that’s the only reason they talk to you; or a couple who only talk to each other to sort out payments or money issues, but nothing else. These are relationships simply based on demands. In our Christian life we can also adopt this attitude: imposing our thoughts and beliefs on others and believing that we know more than anyone else.
2) They do things just to be seen. This is one of the issues that we must deal with today.
We have become narcissistic. Narcissism leads us to do even the smallest thing so that the world will see us. Just have a look at Instagram or Facebook where some people turn their life into a collection of selfies. That is why we must remember what Jesus says: “Do not let your left hand know what the right one is doing.” Today let’s do what we must do with love, and for love… not just to show off! The most beautiful flowers grow in silence and a Christian is called to do the most beautiful things in silence.
3) God is your Father. Once I mentioned to a man of God that I had to take on responsibility for a very important issue and that I was very anxious because I didn’t know what to expect. He said: “My son, what are you afraid of? You are a child of God”. That gave me great courage; and I’ll always remember it. Do not be afraid, because God, your father, is there… loving you and caring for you infinitely. Do not be afraid to face whatever you have to face.
