PRIDE BLINDS US FROM THE TRUTH - 7/5/22 (Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time)

Matthew 9:32-36

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070522.cfm

For more information on the Optional Memorial of St. Anthony Zaccaria, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/july-5---saint-anthony-zaccaria-priest/

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Blessed Tuesday! The Pharisees were knowledgeable of the Scriptures. They were pious, and they were always praying before the altars inside the Temple. However, their exterior devotions did not prove that they had interior devotion to the Lord. Because of their practices, they became blinded by their pride that they were unable to see their blasphemy against God. It's not just illogical but also blasphemous to believe that Jesus is using the power from the demons. Sometimes, because of our piety, we may not also see our words that also offend the Lord. One example is by using the name of the Lord in vain such as by saying, "Oh my God!" and other expressions in an inappropriate context as well. 

But, besides this, it's important for us to reflect deeper on the pride of the Pharisees that made them say such words. Jesus Christ was always correcting the faults of the Pharisees as He was proclaiming the gospel to the people. Jesus Christ has the authority to do so because He is God, and He is the truth. But, due to the pride of the Pharisees, they thought highly of themselves. They were offended by the words of our Lord and instead of repenting, they justified their actions and said negative words towards Him. Instead of seeing His goodness, even when He saved someone from an evil spirit, they became blind and even accused Him. And yet, we can also be guilty of this. When we think highly of ourselves rather than be humble, there may be the time that we will be saying negative words towards one another even though what they are doing is not wrong. 

Our pride may blind us which makes us unable to see the truth. When someone makes a comment to us for our own good, we may misinterpret what they say, not listen to their words and think negatively of them. If we have fallen to these tendencies, let's not lose hope. As we see in the gospel reading, the heart of Jesus is compassionate. He is merciful towards us because He knows when we act as if we do not have a Guide, a Shepherd. He sees when we do not imitate His humility. Despite this, He is patiently waiting for us to come back to Him. All we need to do is to be humble and acknowledge our faults. 

What cures us of our pride is humility. Our Lord gives us an example of how to be humble. He was not focused on the praises of other people. This was the reason why He performed the exorcism even though He knew that the blasphemous words that the Pharisees would utter. He continued with His ministry of preaching and healing solely because of following the will of God. If we are focused on doing His will, we will not be angry when we are corrected or when we receive negative words from others. Humility will open our eyes to see the needs of others and be compassionate to them. Let's not forget to pray to be protected from the evil spirits because they can still tempt us to commit pride, anger and other sins. During the moment of temptations, let's beg strength from our Lord and trust in Him. May we also reflect on the reasons as to why some people commit sins. This will lead us to be compassionate towards them and inspire us to pray for their conversion. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who will guide us to salvation. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic