Jesus’ admonition.

Jesus said: “Woe to you, Pharisees because you tithe mint, rue, and every vegetable, but you bypass justice and God’s love!” This had to be done and addressed there! Woe to you, Pharisees, because you love the first chair in the synagogues and greetings in the streets! Woe to you, for you, are like unmarked graves, and people do not even know what they are walking on!” Then, a scribe told him, “Teacher, when you speak like this, you also insult us.” He said to him: “Woe to you, scribes too! For you burden the people with burdens that cannot be borne, but you do not touch those burdens with a single finger.”

How did you react to the harsh reprimand? Did you not recognize your half-brother? Did you attack, too, or did you take it as a gift? Jesus says “woe” to the Pharisees three times, and they reply: “Teacher, when you speak like that, you also insult us” (Lk 11:45). The social class of the Pharisees did not die out. They don’t seem to do anything wrong. They pay tithes to the temple; what they consider good is enough for them. Jesus wants more – they do all this with their hearts directed to God and not themselves. We are tempted to pretend to be better but worse. It is appropriate to remind ourselves that we have to fight against pretense and especially not to be offended when reminded of it. Whoever wants to stand before God is not a friend of pretense. I am thinking about a note from a friend, a confessor, a professor…?

To love God means also to love everything that God created, especially what he endowed with his divine form, what he loves, and for which he gave his human life to an inhuman death. Such love excludes contempt for people who are less religiously aware. When we look at such people, even less morally familiar, perhaps disgusted with the world, we lose faith in man and his possibilities. And yet many people around us, even non-believers, strive with the most significant effort for something better, for some ideals / and everywhere life is entirely of heroism. It must be seen, recognized, and appreciated, and recommend these minds and hearts that sit in darkness and the shadow of death to God’s mercy.

Let’s think about ourselves: Am I satisfied? Am I happy with myself? What does that mean?