Thursday, October 19, 2023
Rom 3:21-30; Lk 11:47-54
On Being and Becoming the Spiritual Ladder!
In today’s gospel, Jesus invites our attention to the pharisaic problem of hypocrisy.
Jesus is exposing the double standards that Jewish religious leaders followed without any hesitation. They built tombs for the prophets whom their forefathers had persecuted and killed. Although they intend to use such outward expressions of respect as a smokescreen, Jesus exposes their culpability. Further, Jesus also holds them accountable for their notorious history of spilling the innocent blood of the prophets, from Abel to Zechariah.
Jesus also implies that the Jewish religious leaders admired only the dead prophets while persecuting a ‘living prophet’ like himself (not to mention John the Baptist!)
In their wickedness, they also became obstacles for many!
Christian faith is not just an individual experience; it is oriented toward the community. Authentic spirituality is about becoming the spiritual ladder that others can use to gain the nearness of God. If our faith does not facilitate the faith experience of our fellow believers, it is high time we did a self-examination.
Let our spirituality uplift ourselves and others!
Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar
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