DON'T FORCE GOD TO TURN DIRECTION
The theme for our meditation today is: Don't Force God to Turn Direction. Christians who are members of the one Church are not all holy and righteous. We admit that we struggle from time to time to fulfill God's calling until we become perfect. Jesus' message for us His followers is very clear and striking to the point, namely to be perfect as the heavenly Father who is perfect.
Then what about the other members of the Church who are not struggling to live up to the standard of the Lord’s demand? This is the same question that a particular parish priest once asked a mother with her two kids who were students of elementary school, who regularly came to church every Sunday to attend the Holy Mass. “Why don't your husband come also to church”? The lady found it difficult to answer on the reason why her husband no longer wanted to pray and to come to church.
That parish priest was worried for his parishioners, including that lady's husband, who according to the story circulated in the parish, some of them have chosen to be servants of the pleasures of the world and not servants of God. They thought that God doesn't have to be found in the church every Sunday. God is found also in bars and night clubs, in free sex relationship, in entertainment, in corruption, and in other crimes. God has been made to turn direction or to go upside down so that He no longer goes straight with His pure and true will.
Saint Paul in the first reading really hopes that our faith will depend only and absolutely on Christ, the Son of God. This emphasis on obedience or our principle loyalty must be consistent all the time so that we can prevent ourselves to fall into other influences that come and go incessantly. In our today’s world, the Pharisaic style is shown by a fast-growing development of communication technology that makes people find an easy way to become like the Pharisees. People can easily spread lies and hypocrisy and they find no obstacle to hide behind the massive use of the means of communication. Covering up someone or something is an easy thing to do in today’s world.
It seems that God and His truth still continue to be forced to turn direction. The Lord Jesus strongly condemns the Pharisees' lifestyle in this way, which is the hypocrisy that spreads and enforces so massively to the life of this world. And so, with the firmness of Jesus Christ and the sincerity Saint Paul, we need to always give attention to this warning, which says: don't force God to turn direction. Instead, let us just follow the direction of Saint Paul and Jesus Christ because this is the straight path that leads us to the Father.
Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Almighty God, we reaffirm our profession of faith to follow Christ rightly and responsibly, so bless our good will and commitment. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you... In the name of the Father...
