Readings: Rom. 2:1-11; Ps. 62; Luke 11:42-46
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
DON’T BE LIKE UNMARKED TOMB
The condition of our society today calls for deep reflection, as so many things that appear to be good are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful and draw the admiration of people, but within them are full of dead men's bones and all sorts of corruption.
They call it packaging, the popular terminology used by people to describe how they make things that are not too good to look extremely good, and this has made us lose focus on how we ought to do things right.
This ugly attitude of the human person is what Jesus is condemning today in our Gospel passage. As he continued to challenge the hypocritical attitude of the scribes and Pharisees which is not different from the attitude of most of us.
He said: Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone. Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!
Here, Jesus is challenging us to think differently about how we live our lives. He is challenging us to look at what is going on in our inner being, our interior life, that part of us that we hide from one another.
For most people, the things we see around us today are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful and draw the admiration of people, but within us are outright ugliness and all sorts of corruption, like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it.
This is because, like the scribes and the Pharisees, we are interested mostly in the external beauty of things around us while neglecting their essence. We are self-satisfied and often think that we are above the law. We often want to look good from the outside but remain ugly and dirty within.
Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading says that we often abuse God’s abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead us to repentance. This is what we see in the life of St. Theresa of Avila whose memorial we celebrate today.
She was one of the few female Doctors of the Church and the most prominent members of the early Church, who helped to establish a solid foundation for the Church. A life she embraced so deeply and became a renowned mystic and holy woman. And through her writings and way of life, she sought to return the Christian faith to its purer state.
Dear friends, what is the state of your interior life? Is it like an unmarked tomb? Today we are called to build our interior life strong and stop living a fake life of packaging. We are challenged to change our ugly ways of life, to change from within ourselves. This may seem very difficult. But, we need to change in so many ways, especially as regards our attitude towards things in this passing world. For 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 deception, immorality and corruption in the name of packaging. Rather, we should build up our interior being by embracing the things of the heart such as justice, mercy, love and compassion.
LET US PRAY: Loving Father, help us to build our interior life strongly in your love for we are living in a world of unmarked tombs of deception, immorality and corruption. Give us grace to be wise enough to discern what is right and pleasing to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.
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