Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - Wednesday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 2:1-11 and Luke 11:42-46]Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
One of the scripture scholars I consult notes that in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus often speaks about the Law during a meal! I can imagine that this might have some dampening effect on the conversation! In today's passage, the Pharisees and scribes are taken to task for their focus on minute observances and failure to emphasize the important values of mercy and love. Hmmmm....surely sounds like our new Pope Francis! Note the line that says "These you should have done, without overlooking the others!" Pope Francis has been careful to keep in place the teachings while placing mercy and love at the front!
We are invited to the table of the Kingdom of God. Yes, we do need to recognize that this carries with it important ways of behaving and believing, but the first and very important thing is the WELCOME! If we greet people with a list of "do's" and "don't's" we may never get them past the front door! Pope Francis has continually called our attention to this. Are we listening? AMEN