Gospel: Matthew 12: 1-8
"It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice."
A faith based on the Commandments is always looking for fault, blame, and judgment. It seeks to condemn, not lift up. It is about the avoidance of bad deeds and not at all about the performance of good. A faith based on the Beatitudes seeks forgiveness, not fault; blessing, not blame; justice, not judgment. It is a faith that does lift up, for it inspires and encourages one to do the specific, good deed.
It is in the performance of good deeds that we avoid doing bad deeds. We replace the bad deeds we have been performing with the good deeds of the Beatitudes. This is the life of mercy that builds up everyone, restores and transforms the world, and is about authentic being, rooted in the God who is - I am - and not in the shall not.
In the days of Moses God gave us a choice: set before us is life and death, a blessing and a curse. Choose life that we and our descendants shall live. Let us choose the path of the Beatitudes, the path of mercy, and reject the path of commandment and judgment that leads to condemnation and death. It is only in mercy that we can live.
No comments:
Post a Comment