FRIDAY 15TH WEEK IN
ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: ISAIAH
38:1-6. 21-22. 7-8.
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 12:1-8
THEME: RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOTHING
MORE.
When a humble son approaches his
father to beg for a favour, the father does not hesitate to grant him that for
he is a righteous son, but if a wayward child comes, his father will not freely
grant him his wishes.
In the first reading, we saw how
God answered the prayer of Hezekiah not only his own but for the whole nation
because he was upright. Can God answer your own prayers or my own today talk
more of another through you or me because of your or my righteousness?
The gospel expands this through
the last part of it where Jesus said, Ihe n’ asom bu ebere, obughi aja. We
spend time attending all church’s activities and donating money and other
things every now and then to things concerning church but our hearts are as
dark as charcoal. It is not enough. We claim to be following the law and behind
it, we punish people because of our own selfish interest.
A woman who was very devoted to
the CWO. It happened that she had problem with the president in the market. The
next CWO meeting she came late and the president saw it as the best avenue to
punish her. After giving her reasons and proofs, the president persisted under
the umbrella of the law. She was nursing a child that time, after preparing the
child for the meeting, the child poured oil on himself which made her to start
afresh. After that, when they were coming, the chain of their motorcycle broke
into two, she had to roll the motorcycle to a mechanic who repaired it and she
continued the journey and that made her to come late. Her hands were still
filled with oil and grease from the chain. After telling all these, the
president persisted on the law not because they could not adjust but because
she had something against her.
Righteousness is the only thing
that can exalt a nation not the amount of sacrifices we make with evil hearts (Proverbs
14:34). It was because God saw Hezekiah as a righteous man that he answered his
prayers. The Jews were not righteous and they did not recognize that something
greater than the temple was in their midst. Let us today uphold righteousness
for that is the only thing God wants from us not evil sacrifices. Thanks.
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