WILL THEY LIFT A FINGER?

PRAYER PAUSE

Tuesday 1 March 2017

WILL THEY LIFT A FINGER?

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!”  (Matthew23:1-12)

Reflection. The deep anger of Jesus, at the hypocrisy of people who uphold the status quo for their own benefits while totally neglecting the poor, comes through in this passage. And in Lent the Church has come to put more emphasis on “searching for justice, helping the oppressed” (Isaiah 1:16) than on personal practices of self-denial, though they too have their place. Scanning the news one finds a daily dose of grim injustice on every continent. “When will they ever learn?” When will we ever learn? Just yesterday I came across an article about how out of tune Ghandi would be with modern India. And yet, everywhere “artisans of the gospel” are slowly making a difference, leaven-like.

Prayer. Lord, help us to join our hearts with all those who struggle for justice today. Amen.