Good News Inspiration for Daily Life
Bulletin Insert for August 29, 2021.
Description: This bulletin insert for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time asks the questions: How do you know when you’re being hypocritical in your faith? Jesus chastised the Pharisees for honoring God only with their lips while their hearts were far from him; love was missing from their analysis of whether or not Jesus and his disciples had sinned when they disobeyed a Jewish rule about cleanliness. The rule was more important to them then the person. They had the self-righteous attitude of: “I know better than you, and I am better than you, proven by the fact that I obey the laws that you’re breaking.”
Obedience, when motivated by a love for rules more than for people, is hypocrisy. If we care, we help others grow in holiness by first understanding their disobedience. It is right to speak up when we witness disobedience, and we should do it, but only because we care about the sinner’s spiritual growth and only when we can handle it without ignoring or overlooking the reasons behind the disobedience. We are most successful in guiding others into greater holiness when we take the time to first understand the roots of their disobedience and then address those concerns with love.
Ideas for use: Bulletin insert for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, youth groups, adult faith formation, SCCs, RCIA, etc.
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