Readings: 2Thess:3 6-10.16-18, Ps.128, Matt.23:27-32
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
WHY HAVE WE BECOME LIKE A WHITEWASHED TOMB?
In our society today, the word “packaging” is one of the popular terminologies used by people to describe how they make things that are not too good to look extremely good, and this has a serious negative effect in our society today, as we have actually lost focus of how we ought to do things. Thus, most people and things that appear to be good to us are not really what we think they are.
For most people, the things we see are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful and draw the admiration of people, but within them are full of dead man’s bones and all sorts of corruption just the way Jesus described the attitude and lifestyle of Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel passage when he addressed their attitude which is not far from what we have today in our societies.
This is because the scribes and the Pharisees are interested mostly in the external beauty of things around them while neglecting the essence. They are self-satisfied and think that they are above the law. They look good from the outside but ugly and dirty within. They neglected the deeper things around them. They are interested only in worldly goods and not the things of the heart like justice, mercy, love and compassion.
So Jesus challenged them as he challenges us to change our ugly ways of life, to change from within us. This is difficult to challenge. Nevertheless, we need to change in so many ways, especially as regards our attitude towards things in this passing world. Just like St Augustine, whose memorial we celebrate today when he realised that true happiness is found in interior living and not in material things we possess, he embraced God and became a great instrument in preparing humanity towards the kingdom of God. We, too, can be another great instrument of preparation in God’s hands if we make ourselves available.
Dear friends, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of admonition to the Scribes and Pharisees. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced the Word of God we hear every day? Is the Word bearing fruits in our lives?
Can we recognize in this fragile condition of our societies the great things that the Lord is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God by changing our ugly life that seems like a whitewashed tomb? Hence, Jesus is saying woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the gospel teachings because he seems to expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter him in prayers.
Therefore, God is calling us to repentance; He wants to come into our souls and dwell. But he cannot dwell in a heart that is like a whitewashed tomb. Thus, Jesus is rebuking all humanity, he wants us to stop living a life of packaging, deception and corruption. And this is what St. Paul is telling us in our first reading today when he said, we gave you a rule when we were with you: do not let anyone have any food if he refuses to do any work.
Hence, if we believe in God and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences of our sins; that is why He keeps reminding us about the upcoming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuses to change, we will end up in self-destruction.
LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world of whitewashed tombs, help us to be wise enough to discern and not be carried away or be distracted by the beauty of the whitewashed tombs we see in most people and things around the world today. And as we struggle with the events of life, may God guide and direct our paths. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.
