Matthew 18.21-35

Today the evangelist Matthew speaks of the profile of the scribes and the Pharisees from Jesus' perspective.

As we know, the scribes were a group of Jews who dedicated themselves to studying the Law of Moses and who had recognized authority to teach and interpret it with fidelity; and the Pharisees were a group of Jews who intended to follow the Law of Moses radically, and who criticized those who did not. They were important leaders in the synagogues, which were the official places of worship on the Sabbath.

Jesus recognized their authority; that is why He told the crowds and His disciples to obey them, but not to imitate them, because the scribes and the Pharisees did not practice what they preached.

They were excessively demanding of others; they performed and used religious accessories just to be seen by others; in the synagogues, they loved the first places, the seats of honor; they loved to be greeted and to be called Rabbi.

But Jesus told the crowds and His disciples that whoever exalted himself would be humbled, and whoever humbled himself would be exalted. Jesus said that they were all brothers and that the greatest among them should be their servant. And Jesus concluded by saying that they had only one Master - who was Christ - and only one Father in heaven.

As we can imagine, because of this direct criticism, the scribes and the Pharisees would become serious adversaries of Jesus, and the result of this would be that He would be handed over to Pontius Pilate to be crucified.

We are in Lent, this liturgical time propitious for a good examination of conscience, for repentance and for conversion, not only in our personal lives, but also in our families, in the Church and in society.

We are human beings and we often fail. It is important that we examine our deep motivations for performing. Unfortunately, we are still far from justice and holiness. If we are not careful, we may be performing exactly like those scribes and Pharisees who deserved Jesus' severe criticism.

Let us accept the invitation to conversion. It is an urgent and unpostponable task. If we do not convert, instead of drawing people to God, we will be pushing them away from Him. Let us have the courage to correct each other, of course, with charity.

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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