Weightier Matters

Gospel: Matthew 23: 23-26

It is easy to find the Pharisaical attitude in today's Gospel portion in religion today.  The endless squabbles about liturgy, apparitions, architecture, and the like whilst the scandals of religion are continually swept under the rug are so well known.  The lack of attention to the poor and marginalized - even the avid denigration of them by people of religion is also all too common.  But heaven forbid if the rules of biretta tipping are neglected...

But such things are all too present in the larger culture as well.  The endless squabbles over product and restaurant logos; our perseveration over what a celebrity or athlete says; and our endless drive for public spending on sports arenas - all of which while neglecting and even defending the genocides throughout the world, the human trafficking, the abuse of immigrants, migrants, refugees, and foreigners.  The human animal is master of deflection and avoidance that lead to neglect and abuse...

We might well decry the state of the world, but consider the ways in which we contribute to it in our perseveration on lesser matters and our neglect of weightier ones.  Let the billionaire owner who wants public money for a stadium for his millionaire athletes be deprived of his wish, and let us spend that money caring for the poor.  Let us stop talking about pancake syrup and chain restaurant logos and instead care for immigrants and migrants in need of our help today.