From Inside

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/083017.cfm) reminds me that what makes a person unclean does not come from the outside, rather, from the inside. 

It is easy to appear good to other people. Superficial level. Surface level. Mukhang mabait, mukhang magalang. Mukhang matulungin. It is easy to organize and attend socio civic activities that alleviate poverty. It is easy to organize fundraising activities for our less fortunate brothers and sisters. It is easy to attend prayer gatherings and appear holy. However, doing these things do not necessarily mean that goodness is inside the person. 

In the gospel, Jesus warns us not to be like the scribes and Pharisees who are whitewashed tombs. They look good and clean outside, but dirty inside. It is easy to appear righteous to others even if the inside - what are in our thoughts, minds and actions, are filled with evildoing. 

God sees beyond the superficial level.

What makes us clean, or unclean, comes from the inside. Organizing and attending such activities with hidden agenda may make no difference in the surface level. Probably money will still go to the poor even if the intention is not really to help them, but to build up your reputation. Seems the same, but God sees what is in our hearts. God sees if our service to him is genuine or fake. God sees if our worship is pure or not. These things will make us clean or unclean in God’ eyes.

God is reminding us today to check our hearts. Check our reasons and intentions for doing good to others, for worshipping God. Is it really to give back to God, to share our blessings to others, or just for our personal hidden agenda? God sees what others cannot, so we always have to pray that we be guided and our intentions always be pure as we do things for God.

Do I always pray that my intentions be pure as I serve God? Do I even reflect to see what my intentions are, or am I satisfied with merely doing things? Do I judge others based on their actions, or do I pray for guidance to discern their intentions?

May we always check our intentions and our hearts as we do things.

Father God,
Thank you for today. thank you for another day to live. Thank you for reminding me that what makes me unclean comes from inside. Lord, sorry for the times I am contented with superficial goodness. Sorry for focusing on what others see. I ask that you help me purify my intentions as I serve you, as I do things for you. I know it is easy to get distracted in this world. May I always put the focus on you, and may my reason for doing these things be to praise and glorify you, not myself. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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 August 30, 2017
Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 427

Reading 11 THES 2:9-13

You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.

And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.

Responsorial PsalmPS 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12AB

R. (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light"–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Alleluia1 JN 2:5

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 23:27-32

Jesus said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"