Coffee With God

Reflection: Mercy, not Sacrifice

When St. Luke wrote the Gospel, his concerns were to introduce Jesus the Son of God who became a human being. His audience were gentiles, who had no clue of the Jewish customs and traditions. Therefore, the ritual washings and other purification rites of the Jews would mean nothing to them. But yet, Luke used this story, in order to teach his community not to judge others. This is another dinner scene. Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee. He goes in without following the custom of ritual washing. Was it because Jesus did not care for the traditions, which his host followed meticulously? How come he goes on the offensive towards the Pharisees after being invited for a dinner? Jesus uses the occasion to tell the Pharisees that practice of external rituals does not make anyone holier than the rest. Certainly, St. Luke is giving a catechesis here. He draws the attention of his readers on the false religion. Through the narration of the incident, he teaches his readers not to judge a person’s virtues by his performance or non-performance of an external ritual. Such pharisaic attitudes are visible in today’s Church too. In recent times we witness serious divisions in the Church on account of the liturgical rubrics and rituals. Bishops, priests and faithful are divided over how to celebrate the Mass. Ironically, we are fighting over the rituals used in the Eucharist – the ultimate expression of Jesus’ love for humanity! The last verse of today’s Gospel suggests us what should be our priority. Jesus suggests us that we give alms to the poor. An act of love and compassion to the needy is more pleasing for God than all the observations of rituals and traditions. Our participation in Sunday Mass, Bible studies, retreats are all meaningful only when these religious practices help us to be a better person, better father, mother, sister, brother or a better wife or husband who brings the love and mercy of God to the people who are around us in our families, churches and society. It is so easy to judge people, including our fellow-Catholics, by their observance or non-observance of certain customs. Most of the passages in the Gospel attacking Pharisees are really directed against us – the modern-day Pharisees Elsewhere, Jesus has told us not to judge because it is very difficult for us to know what is going on in the life of the other. Let us not forget the Word of God: “What I want is mercy and not sacrifice.”