Those are fighting words!
Jesus usually doesn’t hold back with certain scribes and Pharisees because, as he says, they are hypocrites. They present themselves as models of holiness, but on the inside they are exact opposite.
It’s easy for us to hear this reading and readings like it and think, “Yeah, Jesus! You tell ‘em!”
But, these words can be just as easily pointed at us.
Jesus says “woe!” to us when we fail to live up to the high calling that we have as his followers: when we don’t love like he calls us to love, or serve as he calls us to serve.
“Woe!” to us when we think, “I’m a good person, I haven’t killed anybody,” but we murder people with hatred in our minds.
“Woe!” to us when we live our lives in a way that fails to lead others to Christ.
Today, Jesus speaks seriously to all of us. He’s telling us that if we want to call ourselves Christians, we better be real about it.
That is what we need to keep in mind as we start a brand new school year. We’re called St. John Central High School because, two thousand years ago, there was a man named John who gave his life to something greater than himself.
He encountered Jesus and from that moment on, his life was totally different.
We’re here at this school to have that same encounter.
Yes, we want you to be successful students and athletes and everything else, but first of all, most importantly, we want you to encounter the love of God.
And when we encounter the love of God, our lives have to change.
Think about St. Augustine, whose feast we celebrate today. He spent his life looking for the truth. He tried religion after religion, he studied philosophy, and he looked for love in purely physical pleasure; but he couldn’t find what his heart was longing for until he gave himself to faith in Jesus. From then on, he was a different man.
On the wall in his room he wrote this sentence in big letters: “Here we do not speak evil of anyone.”
Think about that. It’s only with the love of God behind you that you can say, I’m going to do my best to love everyone.
All of you are here to receive a Catholic education; and, yes, that should mean that you learn a lot about the world from great teachers and then go on to do amazing things. But first it means that you are here so that everyday, you can come face to face with the love of God.
You’ll see it in your teachers; you’ll see it in your friends.
You’ll experience it in prayer and reading the Scriptures.
You ‘ll receive it in the great gift of the Eucharist, where Jesus becomes truly present in the forms of bread and wine.
If you’re open to it, you will encounter the love of God.
So, how are we going to live after encountering that love?
After encountering God’s love, how can we make fun of a kid who’s a little awkward? Or start a rumor about a girl we just don’t like?
We have to decide: am I going to live my life for selfishness, pride, and greed? Or am I going to live my life for the only One who matters – the God who made me, loves me, and wants to share His life with me.
That decision will define your life. Not “what clothes will I wear” or “who will go to the prom with me?” but will I live my life for God?
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