"Ginapatumbayaan ninyo ang katarungan, kaluoy kag pagtuo"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 23:23-26)

Martes (Agosto 27)

“Kailo man kamo, mga manunodlo sang Kasugoan kag mga Fariseo! Mga salimpapaw! Nagahatag kamo sa Dios sang ikanapulo nga bahin bisan sang panakot subong sang tanglad, sang sibuyas, sang luy-a, pero ginapatumbayaan ninyo ang labing importante nga mga ginatudlo sang Kasugoan, nga amo ang katarungan, kaluoy kag pagtuo. Amo ini ang inyo dapat buhaton, nga wala nagapatumbaya sang iban.

Bulag nga mga manugtoytoy! Ginasala ninyo ang mga sapatsapat sa inyo ilimnon, pero ginahalunhon ninyo ang kamelyo!

“Kailo man kamo, mga manunodlo sang Kasugoan kag mga Fariseo! Mga salimpapaw! Ginatinluan ninyo ang sa gwa sang baso kag sang pinggan, pero ang sulod sini puno sang mga butang nga inyo nakuha paagi sa palugos kag kahakog.

Mga Fariseo nga bulag! Tinloi anay ang sulod sang baso, kag ang sa gwa magatinlo man.

Prayers:

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your love and mercy that I may always think, speak, and treat others with fairness, kindness, patience, and goodness."

***

Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

Do you allow any blindspots to blur your vision of God's kingdom and his ways? Jesus went to the heart of the matter when he called the religious leaders of his day blind Pharisees and hypocrites! The word hypocrite means actor – someone who puts on a show to draw attention to themselves. The scribes regarded themselves as legal experts since they devoted their lives to the study of the law of God contained in the five books of Moses (Torah). They divided the 613 precepts of the Law of Moses [Rabbi Simlai,bTalmud Makkoth 24a]]into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for much else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! Jesus chastised them for neglecting the more important matters of religion, such as justice and the love of God. In their misguided zeal they had lost sight of God and of his purpose for the law.

Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor. They meticulously went through the correct motions of conventional religion while forgetting the realities.

Jesus used a humorous example to show how out of proportion matters had gotten with them. Gnats were considered the smallest of insects and camels were considered the largest of animals in Palestine. Both were considered ritually impure. The scribes went to great lengths to avoid contact with gnats, even to the point of straining the wine cup with a fine cloth lest they accidently swallowed a gnat. The stark contrast must have drawn chuckles as well as groans.

What was the point of Jesus' humorous lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love – love of God and love of neighbor. God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. True love is unconditional, costly, and sacrificial – it both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Do you allow the love of God to transform your whole life – including the way you think of others, speak of them, and treat them?