Are you more concerned about performing the rituals of your faith than in fulfilling the spirit behind them? - Daily Reflections October 14,2014

FAITH WORKING THROUGH LOVE

 

Yesterday, our reflection was about tuning out the non-essentials and focusing on the one important sign — our belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

       Let’s face it, we are barraged on all fronts with so many stimuli. We face a daily information overload. We are connected 24/7. We are wired to an endless glut of data. Even our cell phones are clogged with ads informing us of the latest gadget, the best deal, the newest condo units available, etc. Twitter constantly tweets the latest about the people we are following or the people following us.

       In the United States, one funny phenomenon I saw everywhere in my stay there is their use of the garage. They are filled, not with cars (that sit out at the mercy of sun, sleet or snow) but with oodles of toilet paper, paper towels, and an endless variety of knick-knacks bought on sale at wholesale clubs. More often than not, those items eventually end up in garage sales.

       Like the Pharisees, we too are taken up by the non-essentials, by empty rituals (like the obligatory mall sale, the growing fad of the obligatory “fun run,” and the annual ritual of holding on to the rope that connects one to the Black Nazarene, etc.). Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying any of them is bad in and of itself.

       But they do tell us how thinly spread we are on account of the 1,001 things we need to attend to. The Pharisees did precisely that. They reveled in the minute details of the Law and forgot about its spirit. They focused on the external trappings and missed on the internal, mostly unseen, reality.

       Today, we are reminded about this greater but invisible reality of our faith, which goes beyond mere external observance. It is not just a matter of having one’s self circumcised and then missing out on “observing the entire law.” Keeping cups and dishes clean on the outside is good, but nothing quite takes the place of “faith working through love.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you more concerned about performing the rituals of your faith than in fulfilling the spirit behind them?

 

Lord, grant me the grace to express my faith through acts of love for my neighbor.