WEDNESDAY JUNE 5, 2024
NINETH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
ST BONIFACE, B.M. (MEMORIAL)
2 Timothy 1: 1-3.6-12
Mark 12:18-27
STANDING WITH JESUS WITH AN OPEN MIND AND SINCERE DESIRES
A person who knows the greatness of the Christian faith comes with great fear and trembling with total submission and willingness to follow. One does not exhibit an attitude of arrogance or rigidity, or obvious watering down of the mysteries.
The Pharisees and the Saducees were people who went to the extremes of religiosity. They exhibited religious fanaticism and extremism. For the Sadducees, they never believed in the spirits, and in resurrection. They took their stand from the five Books of Moses believing that these were just enough for them and nothing more. Any other thing was absolutely not for them.
Resurrection for them was a taboo and conjecture of man’s imagination. It is not surprising to have raised those objections that we see in today’s gospel.
But the underlining reason for derailment was their obvious rigidity and closed mind to the things of God. They were too hard on the things of God. Their reasoning ranked supreme over and above divine initiative and revelation. They relied more on their rationality. Such can be seen in this hypothetical story of the woman who married seven husbands. Dogmatic and rigid forms of spirituality is not always the best for a greater knowledge and wisdom to reach us.
The need to be open to divine revelation and divine initiative must be taken into account. This allows for greater knowledge and growth in the faith.
Same can be said of the Pharisees who goes more beyond the Sadducees to accept other divine books of revelations but over multiplied the laws and precepts that they became burden to them. They left the main source of revelation and focused on themselves and their holiness as the source of virtue and piety.
Giving room for God in our religious inclination is always necessary and right. God’s ways and actions must be respected. There is no need to act as if we own ourselves, or have gained full knowledge of everything pertaining to God and then act from this knowledge. Rather, we should be humble, submissive and open minded to the things of the spirit and the things of God. And the best way to do this is to rely on the teachings of the church, the vehicle commissioned for the instruction and evolving of the mysteries of Christ.
The church is a mother that teaches, instructs and directs the affairs of Christ. And Jesus has promised that no obstacle and no force on earth will ever conquer the Church. We must them listen to her teachings and follow her instructions faithfully and sincerely. We must develop an open mind and seek more the face of God in all situations. And when we find reasons to believe rely also on an ongoing knowledge and wisdom acquisition.
Heavenly Father, we are blessed to know you. Thank you for the gift of faith. Help us to grow in our knowledge of you and your ways. Direct our hearts, our actions and our ways. Give us docile and humble hearts of disciples and never allow us rely or trust our intelligence over your grace through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
