Saint Paul Miki and Companions
Not Lip Worship, But Hearty Worship
Brethren, in the Gospel today, we see that the Pharisees were only worshipping God in their lips but not from the hearts, and this worship had no effect in their lives. Jesus challenges them, and he also challenges us today. Is your worship of God deep from your heart or is it superficial? Jesus criticises the Jews for just washing outside hands but inside they are evil and for misinterpreting the law of God and replacing it with their empty arguments, especially the fourth one, whereby one would not help his parents claiming that what he had belongs to God, forgetting that true for God is shown in the way we love others and especially our parents through he created us. We cannot claim that we love God whom we cannot see while we hate our brothers and sisters and parents who stay with us (1 John 4:20). Jesus quoted Isaiah the prophet who said, “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”
Jesus strongly criticised them because their hearts were lacking true worship. The various traditions of the elders were not necessarily bad, such as the careful ceremonial washing of one’s hands before eating. But these traditions were empty if they were not motivated by a deep faith and love of God. The external following of human traditions was not truly an act of divine worship, and that’s not what Jesus wanted for them. He wanted their hearts to be set ablaze with a love of God and with true divine worship.
What our Lord wants of each one of us is worship. Pure, heartfelt, sincere worship. He wants us to love God with a deep interior devotion. He wants us to pray, to listen to Him, and to serve His holy will with all the powers of our soul. And this is only possible when we engage in authentic worship.
As Catholics, our life of prayer and worship is grounded in the holy Liturgy. The Liturgy incorporates many traditions and practices that reflect our faith and become a vehicle of the grace of God. And though the Liturgy itself is far different from the mere “tradition of the elders” that Jesus was criticising, it’s useful to remind ourselves that the many Liturgies of our Church must move from the external actions to interior worship. Going through the motions alone is pointless. We must allow God to act on us and within us as we engage in the external celebration of the Sacraments.
Reflect, today, upon the burning desire in the heart of our Lord to draw you into worship. Reflect upon how well you allow yourself to be drawn into this worship every time you attend the holy Mass. Seek to make your participation not only an exterior one but, first and foremost, an interior one. Doing so will help ensure that the rebuke of our Lord upon the scribes and Pharisees does not also fall upon you.
Let us Pray.
My divine Lord, You and You alone are worthy of all worship, adoration and praise. You and You alone deserve the worship I offer You from the depths of my heart. Help me and Your entire Church to always interiorize our exterior acts of worship so as to give You the glory that is due Your holy name. Amen
Be blessed.
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