Pay attention to the routine !

Thursday September 2, 2021

Pay attention to the routine !

Hypocrites ! Isaiah prophesied well of you when he said : This people pretend to draw near to me, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They are falsely honoring me by giving teachings which are human commandments. Matthew 15:7-9

The mission of the scribes and the Pharisees was to instruct the people in the law of the Lord. Instead of teaching them, they imposed on the Jews the codes of conduct that their scholars had established over time. Their knowledge gave them prestige in front of the other Jews, whom they also proudly despised, daring to declare: This crowd that does not know the law, they are cursed! (John 7:49).

In fact, their religious practices were summed up in external forms that were binding, but without value in the eyes of God. Our Lord, whom we see gentle and peaceful in the gospels, is particularly severe towards them. He calls them hypocrites, and they are shocked. This severity of the Lord is due to the fact that these scribes and Pharisees obscured the path which leads to faith and salvation.

Our God wants us to love him with all our hearts, to be vibrant with love and gratitude for him. Beyond words, he wants us to be committed to him, to do good works, fruits of a love that originates in a pure heart. God is not satisfied only with outward forms, he looks first to the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

We meet each Sunday with other brothers and sisters in Christ to worship God our Father and the Lord Jesus. I sing hymns with everyone, I say amen to prayers, I participate in the Lord's Supper. I am caught up in the religious atmosphere. But isn't there sometimes a part of the routine in my approach ?

Yes, let's resist the routine that gives us a clear conscience! When we come together as children of God, let us do so, each time as everything again, filled with the love of the Father and the Son.

Let us live for that in the presence of God, day after day, so that the Holy Spirit can act freely in each one of us. The praise of the Church is nourished by what each brings.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)