By Vimal Kumar csc –
Readings: Is 1:10, 16-20; Mt 23:1-12
After reading today’s Gospel, I asked myself, “What makes a person religious? Faith or deeds?” Many of us may have gone through the same intriguing question. Jesus has brought out the answer in a realistic manner by examining the life of pharisees and scribes. Faith is the primary step that makes a person religious, but it is the good deeds which the faith demands in return. Though the pharisees and scribes had faith in God, they failed to practice them in action. Their culpability was publicly exposed by Jesus.
Neither the faith nor preaching about it makes a person spiritual or religious; rather, a set of good actions can become expressions of faith. In the first reading, prophet Isaiah urged the people to do good actions, and stop doing evil, as expressions of our faith in God.
In this season of Lent, this is an invitation and realization for us to rethink the meaning of being religious. Besides prayers, there are other numerous things we need to practice to be a religious and spiritual person. The virtues of compassion, forgiveness, love, self-control, kindness, charity, generosity, humility etc. are the qualities which Jesus demands from us to be religious. Thus, it is putting our faith into action which makes us truly religious and spiritual.