The Gospel Proclamation Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses’ Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don’t practice what they preach. They tie to people’s backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren’t willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues, they love to be greeted with respect in the market-places and to be called ‘Teacher’. You must be called ‘Teacher’, because you are all brothers of one another and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father’ because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called ‘Leader’, because your one and only leader is the Messiah. The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.
Prayerful Awareness Today’s scripture passages show us what is pleasing to our Abba Father is when we accept our sinfulness in humility and repentance, and turn towards Him and ask for forgiveness, and mend our ways and start loving our God and our fellowmen unconditionally. Those who think they lead righteous lives are ignorant of what sin is all about. Sin is everything that keeps us from responding to Abba Father’s love which also hinders loving fellowship amongst humanity. The best example of a loving close relationship is that manifested within the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and the Spirit of love that is eternally flowing between them which is a giving, receiving, and a binding force. When God created man He said, “Let us create him in our image” and “Male and female He created them” and man was created to experience this love within the nucleus family and the larger community, demonstrating the fourfold aspects of God’s love, of universal, sacrificial, serving, and unceasing love. However this was marred by the raising of its head of the human ego, which creates barriers between all human relationships in terms of the seven deadly sins of pride, lust, greed, avarice, anger, hatred, and sloth, and the harboring of memories and inner wounds and bad habits and addictions, etc. In the First Proclamation of God’s Love, Isaiah 1: 16-20, God tells us, “Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and learn to do right. See that justice is done-help those who are oppressed, give orphans their right, and defend widows” and “You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool” and in the Psalm He says “sacrifices and the burnt-offerings you always bring me. And yet I do not need bulls from your farms or goats from your flocks” and “You refuse to let me correct you; you reject my commands” “Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honours me, and I will surely save all who obey me.”
