We are all Accused

One of the frustrating parts of human interaction, especially within the Church, is the constant state of accusation. We accuse others of not living the faith properly. In return, others accuse us of the same failures. The result is mutual indignation. Instead of insisting in our excellence, maybe we should accept our failures.

In today’s gospel reading, Our Lord is ‘calling out’ the hypocrites for their failures. It is almost as if He is standing in a circle and pointing His finger at each person in turn saying, “YOU…and YOU….and YOU.” When the lawyers in the room speak up with indignation, He adds, “and YOU,” just to make sure they knew they were indeed included.

The Lord said to the Jews who had come to him, “Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. Woe to you! For you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”

Luke 11.42-46

Here’s the thing about today’s reading. Christ isn’t just ‘calling out’ the Pharisees. He’s ‘calling’ us out. The words are meant for our ears. We are the ones accused of hypocrisy. We are the indignant ones who He puts in our place.

We can’t escape the accusations when they come from the Lord. He doesn’t chastise us lightly. His goal is not to humiliate us. God doesn’t desire a downcast face. We are accused for salvation sake. He chastises us to inspire us to repentance. His goal is our salvation rather than to stroke our ego. He desires our hearts to be filled with His joy rather than false hope.

Reflect upon the passage today and challenge yourself. Instead of denial, embrace repentance. Instead of indignation, embrace humility. Instead of being “like graves which are not seen,” reflect the Light of Christ you received at your baptism.