August 28, 2024, Matthew 23:27-32
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082824.cfm
Anesthesia Is Painless, But Watch Out.
How did people ever manage before anesthesia? With a rag in their mouth, they bit as hard as they could, enduring the pain. Today, a person doesn’t have to count to three or ten. You are out like a light as soon as you get the shot.
But watch out because when the anesthesia and the nerve block wear off, you will need some heavy drugs to keep you going as pain-free as possible. So, I thought of anesthesia when I read today’s gospel.
Speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, “You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment, mercy, and fidelity. But these you should have done without neglecting the others.”
Sin is like anesthesia. It dulls us from the pain it brings into our lives and relationships. It starts with little things, and we think it’s okay when there are no consequences. But, according to psychologists, behaviors become our norm over 4 to 6 weeks.
Then, we do them without thinking. And with that kind of anesthesia in our minds and hearts, little sins become big sins, and we don’t give them a second thought until we pay the price. Many people believe after COVID that they could watch Mass at home and after a while, gave up going to Mass at all on the weekends.
Jesus knows no one can pay the price for any sin, no matter how small. Therefore, He is stern with the scribes and Pharisees, hoping they will change and will not pay the price that only He could settle on the cross.
Gospel Challenge:
When we have been away from confession for an extended period, it’s hard to think of anything we did wrong. So, before we can no longer feel the pain of sin, go to confession, and make it a practice every four to six weeks or more. The Sacrament of Confession is the antidote that heals sin’s infection, and His grace leaves no trace of sin in us.
Love Your Neighbor!
Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
