In yesterday’s gospel, Jesus was invited to eat dinner with the Pharisees and he ended up insulting them to their face at the dinner table, by calling them fools and telling them that they were filled with plunder and evil inside. Then, he insulted the Pharisees and the scholars of the law to their face in today’s gospel. Jesus told the Pharisees that they paid tithes alright, but they didn’t do what was most important, to be aware of their own judgment, and to love God. They were also conceited and loved too much attention. Then, Jesus told the scholars of the law that they imposed too many burdens on people who were hard for them to live by, but they didn’t lift a single finger to help them.
The good Lord sure didn’t make very many friends talking to the people in his own religious community this way. Incidents like these, piled on top of each other, no doubt added fuel to the fire when the Pharisees and scribes were deciding to have him crucified. You can feel Christ’s anger in his words, but the anger in the religious leaders of his time was just beginning to smolder.
There is actually something positive to see in these readings though. Not once did we read that Jesus pointed the finger at the average person. He never did this to any individual sinner, except the Pharisees and scribes. We never read that Jesus treated a man named “John” or a woman named “Mary” like this. That is a point that is often overlooked, that Jesus was not hard on the average person. He loved them, and he still does. Thank God we are just average people and Christ is a little more lenient with us than he was with the leaders of his own time.
Christ condemned entire cities though. Individual’s sinful actions added up to create widespread grave sins. Entire cities succumbed to mortal sin. This is true with large segments of countries sometimes in modern times too. That is why the Responsorial Psalm today is also very relevant to the gospel:
“Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent.”
You become like the people who you are around. Our parents paid attention to what kind of friends we had when we were children for a reason. This reason doesn’t change just because we became an adult. The people we surround ourselves with in life will affect us. The more we are with them, the more their values, outlook on life, faith or lack of faith, morals, etc. will wear off on us. This is true with major sins, but it is also true with those who have a positive or negative outlook in life too. A negative coworker can change the entire atmosphere of the workplace, but so can a positive attitude.
This would be a good thing to think about today. If we were saints, then our faith would be so strong that even the very worst of situations like a concentration camp, would have no affect on us. But, most of us aren’t saints. We are influenced by our surroundings way too much. We really should take a look at the quality of the friendships we have formed, the coworkers we take our lunch break with, or go out for drinks with after work, or extended family members that constantly make us miserable, and ask ourselves if they are a positive influence in our lives? Or do they bring out more of our sinful inclinations, or negative thinking in us?
The first reading talked about those who commit these kinds of sins would not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Immorality, impurity, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, fury, envy, selfishness, dissensions, factions, drinking bouts, orgies, etc.) If we hang out with people who continue to sin and have negative thoughts and actions, then they will eventually rub off on us and could cause us to lose our salvation.
Saint Paul wrote that:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control … those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit let us also follow the Spirit.”
Did you notice he said, “let us follow the Spirit”? That is worth stopping and paying attention to for a moment. We should follow the Holy Spirit that is alive and well in our fellow Christians. We really do need to support one another in our lives of faith as Christians. It is important to go to Mass and participate in the life of the church for that reason. Just being with like-minded people is very encouraging and supportive. Joy is contagious. The Spirit isn’t taught, it’s caught. May the Holy Spirit come down into our hearts today and make us worthy vessels of His love, and may we share this love with all those we come in contact with today.
Daily Mass Readings:
Galatians 5: 18-25 / Psalm 1 / Luke 11: 42-46
