T o call someone a hypocrite or to tell someone that they are a Pharisee is pretty much the same thing. Both symbolize what is sinister and false. Yet the Pharisees
followed the law and did what they were supposed to do. They
paid their debts, observed their religious rituals, and were
leaders in their communities. Yet we hear Jesus saying: “Unless
your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees,
you shall not enter the kingdom of God.”
Evidently, being a strict follower of the rules isn’t good
enough. Jesus expects us to be better than just followers of
rules. In Jesus’ mind righteousness is not a question of what we
must do to observe the law. It is a question of how much more
we can do, how much more we want to do. It is what’s in our
hearts and souls that matters. Just because we appear to be good
on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean that we are good on the
inside. We may never commit adultery, but our hearts can be
filled with lust. We may never be convicted of theft, but we can
rob another person of their value in the eyes of others.
It is genuine love that matters, not just words or appearances.
True Christians do not ask whether something is legal or illegal
and then stop there. They love God, they love Jesus, and they
love their brothers and sisters. Their only concern is how they
can serve and love them more and more. They want to work
with Jesus and his brothers and sisters to build the Kingdom of
God. No matter how much they do, they know they can still
love more. Just doing the minimum is not enough.
What Jesus taught and what He showed us is that love knows
no boundaries.
(excerpt: catholicweb.com)
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