Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011812.cfm
"Jesus looked around at them with anger and was grieved at their hardness of heart."
Something is not right when our religion, which should make us more compassionate and loving people, makes us more hardhearted and arrogant; but this is what happens when we focus on externals, ignore the heart, and major on minors.
Let me give an example. When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I attended a strict Protestant church. Here are some of the rules the church commanded that, if followed, would make one a good Christian: Thou shalt read only the King James Version of the Bible; Thou shalt not listen to rock music; Thou shalt not dance; Thou shalt not drink alcohol; Thou shalt not smoke; Thou shalt not gamble; Thou shalt not go to movie theaters; If thou art a woman, thou shalt not wear makeup or pants; Men and women shalt not swim together in the same pool.
There are a number of problems with thinking that merely staying away from a few forms of entertainment makes one a good Christian, but the biggest problem I found was that I became full of pride because I could keep these rules with relative ease in my own strength; therefore, I did not need humbly to depend on God's grace. The rules were only about outward behavior; they did not deal with matters of the heart. Because I thought so highly of myself and of my ability to keep the rules, I looked down on those who did not keep the rules; I considered them not to be good Christians.
Once, by God's grace, I began to focus on the weightier matters (matters of the heart) of the Christian life like love for God and neighbor, humility, and prayerfulness, I saw what a sinner I was, and the high thoughts I had of myself slowly began to subside. I found I could not produce the weightier matters in my own strength, so in humility, I had to depend on God.
May God give us the strength and wisdom to major on the majors and minor on the minors.
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