OUR ACTIONS SHOULD BE ALIGNED WITH GOD'S WILL - 02/07/23 (Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time)

Mark 7:5–8

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020723.cfm

Blessed Tuesday! The Pharisees were always looking for mistakes in Jesus and in His disciples because of their pride and envy. In our gospel reading, they criticized the disciples of Christ because they did not practice the custom of washing their hands before eating, which the Pharisees imposed on people. However, our Lord responded to them that they were hypocrites because they were imposing burdens on people such actions that were not necessary, and the Pharisees substituted such customs or "man-made traditions" that were contrary to the commandments of God. We are created by God for us to be united with Him as we glorify and love Him in our lives. This is our purpose in life, and as such, all of our actions should be ordered towards the end of loving God. Unfortunately, there are times when the customs in the secular culture today are influencing us to not be faithful to God's will. It's true that today, we may not have the same experiences like those that are mentioned about the Pharisees. Still, modern society goes in the opposite direction of rigidity which is laxity where one is no longer firm in doing what is right and pleasing to God.  

Because we can only found true happiness in serving God, this means that our goal in life everyday is to love Him, pray to Him and persevere in doing His will. However, many people today seem to replace this with the idea that it's ok to pray to God only for limited and little minutes after waking up and before sleeping while spending most of the day just about ourselves and our wants. Instead of spending our hours on playing games, binging movies, social media and in other things, Jesus is calling us to devote our free time in Adoration, rosary and other devotions. Though it's good to pray to God after we wake up and before we sleep, it's not enough if we only limit it to that rather than having a prayer schedule because by doing so, our devotion towards God will become colder. Unfortunately, this also leads to some people thinking that we can love God while neglecting the doctrines of Christ and the reality of salvation. We may realize that some of our actions may not lead us to be closer to God. And yet, because of God's mercy, He is giving us opportunities to repent of our sins and be closer with Him. May we honor God, not just in our lips, but also in our hearts. Let's persevere in our prayer, not by merely reciting words out of habit, but by recognizing that our Lord listens to us because He is our closest Friend. May we also be faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church which gives us the assurance of knowing the truth of God. What are the things that we can give up in order to give more glory to God? If we hold fast to doing God's will and in staying away from temptations, our hearts will be purified by His merciful love. 

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

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

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

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth