Friday of the Second Week of Lent
(Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)
When old Catholics come together, they sometimes tell the
story of a parish priest who said mass in twelve minutes. He did it in pre-Vatican Council days when no
one was following the liturgical Latin. Of
course, it was an abuse of the sacrament as were other practices of those
days. The demeaning of Protestants, the
transfers of priest sexual abusers, and the downplaying of Scripture are but a
few of the traits of those times that called for reform. In today’s gospel Jesus points to the need of
a similar reform in Judaism.
Jesus is speaking to the elders and chief priests of the
people. He knows that they resist his
call to a less severe interpretation of the Law. Some of his issues which they reject are healing
on the Sabbath and moral judgment based on one’s intention as well as the
concrete action. Jesus further realizes
that the established religious leaders have made up their minds. He knows that they will do away with him when
they have the opportunity. His parable
serves as a prophecy for what is soon to take place on Calvary.
We must not be closed to reform. Vatican II expressed this principle as the
need for the Church to constantly purify itself. We as members of the Church community must
strive for greater understanding of self, greater love for others, and greater sacrifice
for God.
No comments:
Post a Comment