Readings:
2Thess:3 6-10.16-18, Ps.128, Matt.23:27-32
Rev.
Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
WHY HAVE WE BECOME LIKE A WHITEWASHED TOMB?
In our
society today, the word “packaging” is one of the popular terminologies used by
people to describe how they make things that are not too good to look extremely
good, and this has a serious negative effect in our society today, as we have
actually lost focus of how we ought to do things. Thus, most people and things
that appear to be good to us are not really what we think they are.
For
most people, the things we see are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly
appear beautiful and draw the admiration of people, but within them are full of
dead man's bones and all sorts of corruption just the way Jesus described the
attitude and lifestyle of Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel passage when he
addressed their attitude which is not far from what we have today in our
societies.
This
is because the scribes and the Pharisees are interested mostly in the external
beauty of things around them while neglecting the essence. They are
self-satisfied and think that they are above the law. They look good from the
outside but ugly and dirty within. They neglected the deeper things around
them. They are interested only in worldly goods and not the things of the heart
like justice, mercy, love and compassion.
So
Jesus challenged them as he challenges us to change our ugly ways of life, to
change from within us. This is difficult to challenge. Nevertheless, we need to
change in so many ways, especially as regards our attitude towards things in
this passing world. Just like St Augustine, whose memorial we celebrate today
when he realised that true happiness is found in interior living and not in
material things we possess, he embraced God and became a great instrument in
preparing humanity towards the kingdom of God. We, too, can be another great
instrument of preparation in God’s hands if we make ourselves available.
Dear
friends, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and
uttering terrible words of admonition to the Scribes and Pharisees. But the
questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced the Word of God
we hear every day? Is the Word bearing fruits in our lives?
Can we
recognize in this fragile condition of our societies the great things that the
Lord is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God by changing our
ugly life that seems like a whitewashed tomb? Hence, Jesus is saying woe to us
for failing to embrace and live out the gospel teachings because he seems to
expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter
him in prayers.
Therefore,
God is calling us to repentance; He wants to come into our souls and dwell. But
he cannot dwell in a heart that is like a whitewashed tomb. Thus, Jesus is
rebuking all humanity, he wants us to stop living a life of packaging, deception and corruption. And this is what St. Paul is telling us in
our first reading today when he said, we gave you a rule when we were with you:
do not let anyone have any food if he refuses to do any work.
Hence,
if we believe in God and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and
guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences
of our sins; that is why He keeps reminding us about the upcoming danger. But,
if humanity constantly refuses to change, we will end up in self-destruction.
LET US
PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world of whitewashed tombs, help us to be
wise enough to discern and not be carried away or be distracted by the beauty
of the whitewashed tombs we see in most people and things around the world
today. And as we struggle with the events of life, may God guide and direct our
paths. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.
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