Mk 12,13-17
Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.
Ask for the Grace: I will beg God our Lord that all my intentions and actions may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty
Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: Jesus is in Jerusalem. Pharisees come to him and ask questions. Listen, look at the people in this scene, maybe you are also present there.
Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I would follow God’s greater glory in my life
- Knowing their hypocrisy…
Jesus recognized the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes who came to him to catch him for some untruth. Their two-faced attitude was visible to him, they failed to hide it from him. Sometimes we have this hypocrisy, too. We have something else inside, feel different, think different, say differently and act differently. And it does not only apply to our evil intentions, but also to our good feelings, motivation and thoughts. It is difficult for us to admit that, for example, we don’t like someone, we hate someone, and that we like someone, miss someone, love someone. Hypocrisy is not only manifested in a relationship with others, but perhaps the most difficult thing is for us to admit to ourselves what we have inside us. Maybe it is not right that our behavior is consistent with our actual motivations, feelings, because it can do a lot of harm to others, but that we should be aware and be able to admit to ourselves what we have deeply inside, because only then can we change it.
Jesus knows what you feel, think, want, desire and don’t want anyway. Tell him about it, even if you feel ashamed. He welcomes you with your shame.
- State law and God’s law.
Jesus answers the Pharisees when he says: Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God. So, he talks about respecting the law created by people and respecting God’s law. One can say that Jesus says: be honest, do your best, obey the rules. The difference between God’s law and human law is fundamental: God’s law comes first, it is supra-state and the moral attitude of man and it is based primarily on God’s law. Ideally, the law created by people would be in accordance with God’s law. This is often not the case: for example, in the case of defending unborn children. It seems that we like to interpret the rules in his own way, convenient for himself, stretch the law, both state and God’s. If I’m comfortable explaining why I don’t pay taxes, what I’m saying about others is not talking about how to hide some difficult truth, it’s not a lie … We often explain to ourselves that it is not a lie or a lesser evil. However, it is not about choosing the major or lesser evil but we should choose goods. So, if you undertake something, or do not undertake, speak or you are silent, the motivation should be to look for the greater good.
Look how you obey human and God’s laws. How are you looking for a greater good?
Meditation: St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.
The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)
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