Wednesday 28th week in ordinary time
"Lk 11:42-46"
"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places."
The tithe was a requirement of the Law in which all Israelites were to give 10% of everything they earned and grew to the temple. Pharisees were very diligent about paying that. They didn't have any problem 'doing' or 'giving' things. Their problem was that they had neglected "justice and the love of God."
Apparently they thought that God could be satisfied with things. They didn't consider that God doesn't need 10% of anything because He OWNS everything already. God is not an employer. God didn't create men to "work for Him". God created us to LOVE Him. God doesn't want our things. He wants our hearts. The only 'gift' with which we can satisfy Him is 'love'.
You remember the story of Cain and Abel. The Book of Genesis says that "Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions." But God loved Abel's offering and rejected Cain's. Why? Certainly it has nothing to do with God not liking vegetables or preferring meat. It wasn't the thing that was offered. It was the love with which it was offered. Maybe Cain was just fulfilling his duty. But Abel loved God and wanted to offer Him the best he could.
When we go to Mass, say our prayers, work and study or we offer up some sacrifice, we need to make sure that we aren't just fulfilling our duty: we are loving God. Kissing your grandma, for example, can be just a duty (grandchildren are supposed to kiss grandmas) or a real act of affection. Think of a bride asking her groom: 'Do you love me?' and the newly-married man, distracted, looking at his phone, waving a hand and replying, 'Yeah, yeah, whatever!' Mary, my Mother, help me to put my heart into everything that I do for God, to do everything for the right intention; teach me, Mother, to love God with everything I am and everything I do.
