AVOID COSMETIC SPIRITUALITY (HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 28TH WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II October 2022

HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 28th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II

Gal.5:1-6; Ps.119; Luke 11:37-41

In the first reading of today, St. Paul vehemently deterred the Gentiles from performing circumcision; not because circumcision was awful in itself, but because it was incorrectly raised to the level of a mandatory requirement for redemption.

Demanding circumcision, according to St. Paul is tantamount to asserting the Jewish culture for other people who want to submit to the Christian faith. This would unfailingly suggest that Jesus is predominantly for the Jews and that non-Jews are second-class citizens of heaven. Such an impression will contradict the universality of salvation. Hence, for St. Paul, circumcision has no spiritual bearing. Tolerating it does not make one more sacred, just as one does not become less virtuous without it.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus chastised the Pharisees who anticipated him to wash firstly before dinner. Jesus was not exceptionally against sanitary strategies, rather, he was angry at an artificial and hypocritical spirituality that disguises itself under temporary practices

He said, "Oh, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too?"

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus warns us to avoid this pharisaic attitude of cosmetic spirituality. Where hypocritically we beautify and nourish only the part of our being (the body) which people can recognize and commend us but abandon to corruption that which people cannot see: heart, conscience, soul and spirit. Hence, we become pretenders in our actions. It is like one superficially conforming to the liturgical gesture of receiving the Holy Communion in the mass when in fact the person is not in a state of grace and had refuse to embrace the sacrament of penance.

We pray that the good Lord will continually enlighten our consciences and grant us the needful grace to always give ourselves a comprehensive and all-embracing approach. All for the glory of God and our sanctification. Amen

Have a beautiful day!

Fr Remi osj