THE EXAMPLE OF ST. AUGUSTINE First the mother, and now the son. These two saints from yesterday and today form an inseparable and unmistakable bond, most especially when you consider the wonders of God’s grace taking effect in the soil of human freedom. As St. Paul put it in today’s First Reading, “God called you through our preaching of the good news so that you might achieve the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are all called to holiness, but different people take different paths toward one and the same goal. For some people, like Augustine, it is the dangerous, rough and winding road of sin, then to repentance and penance, and finally leading to righteousness. For others, it is the quiet, straight and persevering path of ordinary, everyday sanctity. Whichever path we take, there is always the Lord awaiting our response to His call. The scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus castigates in today’s Gospel represent those who refuse to heed the call to holiness. They missed the point entirely and ended up with erroneous attitudes. Worse still, they imposed their wrong notions on others through their deceitful and hypocritical leadership. It’s a warning for all, especially for those of us who are endowed with tasks of authority and roles of leadership. Our Lord, in fact, minced no words against those blind scribes and Pharisees, calling them fraud several times. Jesus might also censure us if we neglect our own commitment to holiness and, worse still, give in to wrongdoing. St. Augustine shows us the way to genuine repentance and conversion. As we commemorate and honor him today, we ask for his intercession at the same time. May his example inspire us to be honest and humble enough to own up our errors and to make up for our negligence. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB REFLECTION QUESTION: Look back at your faith journey. Has it been a straight and persevering path, or a winding road from sin to repentance and conversion? Lord Jesus, thank You for the invitation to journey with You. Help me to always focus on the goal — holiness and union with You in heaven — so that I will continue to forge ahead. | ||
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