DAILY HOMILIES #pharisees

True change can only begin from the inside. As the saying goes, if you want to change the world, begin with the man you see in the mirror. If my preaching must be of any relevance, I must first do away with my hypocrisy and love for money. I must admit the truth and lead by example so as not to demand certain standards from the people which I am not even willing to meet.

Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of not teaching the truth regarding swearing and oath-taking. Jesus called them blind guides because they were teaching things that they themselves did not even know.

A clear conscience fears no accusation. If your heart is pure, you are not afraid of your persecutors because you know the God you serve. You do not take up arms to fight because you trust that God knows how to take care of your adversaries.

Those who are good at pointing out the sins of others do not often give time to examining their own lives and as a result, they develop a false sense of self-perfection.

Dear friends, the size of your offertory may be very big, but if it is “nothing” to you, it is nothing to God.

Hatred is deadly. The feeling of hatred makes you blind to the good in others. Hatred makes you criticize everything in everybody. Hatred takes away your happiness. The scribes and Pharisees could not rejoice at the healing of the man with a withered hand instead they started plotting to kill Jesus. Hatred literally turns us into little devils.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus likened the Scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs which were beautiful to look at from the outside but were full of dead men’s bones inside. If people get close to me, would they see something different from what I portray in public?

Let us examine our consciences and repent. We should not be so interested in attempting to convert anyone as much as we should be interested in living in the light ourselves.

Am I simply a signboard that points to a particular direction but never goes there? On the other hand, have I become a stumbling block preventing others from going to heaven through my scandalous actions?