28TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
28TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: “TEACHER, BY SAYING THIS YOU ARE INSULTING US TOO.”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
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Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
The Law on tithing requires all Jews to offer to the Temple ten percent of everything they earn and produce. The word ‘tithe’ means ten percent. This is being strictly and meticulously observed by the Pharisees up to the tiniest detail. They even pay tithes to the most insignificant products: “You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb.”
Tithing is a truly good and praiseworthy practice, and all of us are earnestly encouraged to do this. In fact, it is our obligation to support the Church, as stipulated in Canon Law (can. 222, par 1). Unfortunately, many of us Catholics do not take this seriously. As a result, in order to survive and continue serving the people, the Church was impelled in the past to adopt the arancel system. In this system, people are required to pay a certain fixed amount for the administration of the sacraments and other church services. But now the Church is abolishing the arancel system and requiring parishes to adopt the tithing system.
There is really nothing wrong with tithing. What Jesus criticized is the tithing as practiced by the scribes and Pharisees. They are too scrupulous about every detail in tithing, too legalistic and stringent in its implementation, while putting aside what truly matters: “You pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.”
Although tithing is highly encouraged, its implementation must be carefully guided so that people will have the proper understanding and motivation. One big danger is to consider this practice on a purely materialistic aspect, and thereby look at our relationship with God as a business transaction. Such is what the “Prosperity Gospel” is all about. It is almost solely based on Luke 6:38: “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.” Thus, people get the idea that when they give something to God, they expect to receive ‘overflowing’ graces in return. This is called ‘transactional’ or ‘contractual’ spirituality.
Many people apparently think that God could be satisfied with material things – such as money, gifts, donations. But God does not need our ten percent because He already owns everything. God is not an employer from whom we expect to receive payment for our service. He is not a businessman who will give us a good deal in exchange for the measly ten percent we remit. What God wants from us is not our things, not even our service. He does not need anything from us anyway. What He wants from us is our hearts. In short, the best gift we can offer to God that will certainly please Him is love. Tithes offered without love but motivated by what we expect to receive in return is definitely useless. It is unacceptable to God just like the offering of Cain.
Jesus, then, proceeds further to condemn the pride of the Pharisees: “You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces.” In other words, in trying to be always the center of attraction, they are drawing people’s attention to them, and not to God. This is definitely harmful to the spiritual welfare of the people. That is why Jesus likens the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs: clean and beautiful on the outside, but extremely dangerous to the souls of those who unwittingly come into contact with them. Hence, Jesus warns: “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees” (Lk 12:1).
In everything we do – going to Mass, praying, working, studying – we make sure we offer up some sacrifice that is not just in fulfillment of our duty, but an expression of our love of God and His children.
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