You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.
The passage for todays Bible was new to me! I have not read the entire Bible but I do pay attention to Mass and try to read as much as I can however, I do not have a memory of this passage. So after reading it over I was struck by the line above, it reminded me of something I have personally been victim to and maybe done myself or tried to avoid..
Education and knowledge are extremely powerful tools in a human lifetime. It helps us make informed decisions about various aspects of our lives and enables us to work together with other humans for the betterment of the society.
Unlike present day, in the times when Jesus walked the earth, the Pharisees and Sadducees were the most well read with regards to the Torah and the word of God, so most regular humans thrived for knowledge and understanding of the same on them. But the fact that they were unwilling to learn from the new prophets and apostles or even introspect about the new words they heard made them so stubborn and so set in their ways.
As a resident doctor, we are thrown into a new field with little knowledge about the intricacies and details, we rely on the seniors in the same branch to guide us and help us learn the finer aspects. We are expected to study and ask questions and learn. However, I often noticed many of my senior professors enjoyed belittling the newer residents on rounds and never explained or taught us any topic. While operative procedures were never assisted to me in a way to teach me but rebuke me for not knowing and make me feel so “small” , the professors who have been around for a long time refused to accept newer treatment protocols or drug treatments which were published and stuck to the same methods while refusing to let us learn either. I was even told by a professor, “you do not have the personality for it.”
It would amazed me how after gaining a certain position , one could cease to learn as our field is ever evolving. But arent we all like that? So set in our ways that we judge others to be wrong and unfit at their faith. We judge the girl with make up at mass , the lady who sings offkey, the man who prays out too loud, the mother with kids screaming their heads off, the patients who have aborted every unwanted pregnancy, the neighbors who skipped Sunday mass for a lunch, the family who do not fast on the days of obligation or the friend who never believes in confession!!! I have judged them, maybe not out loud, but I felt it, just cause I have gone to church almost all Sundays of my life before pandemic, and have been writing here does not give me the right to remark about others in their journey of faith and not give them the chance to learn about our Lord and be faithful.
NO ! let us not be like the Pharisees, but like the apostles who spread their love through their words of encouragement, let us lift up those around us with our words and in our prayers and be humbled when someone proclaims faith.
Of course! I will still giggle when I see a woman flailing her arms during mass or ” speaking in tongues” at every christian meet ( something I just cannot wrap my logical mind around) but I know they love Jesus as much as I do and will pray for them rather than diss them off as the “charismatic christians”. The Love of Christ should be our priority and the best way to be a true faithful is to behave in His likeness and image
PRAYER!
Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for being in my life as my source of eternal happiness and wisdom, help me be a light in the lives of everyone I meet and spread your love to them, irrespective of their ideas and logic! Forgive me Lord for being prejudiced and hateful at the others for their version of faith and realise we all are walking towards one goal of eternal salvation.
AMEN!
