Today,
Jesus confirms the hardness of the heart of the people of his time,
at least, as far as the Pharisees are concerned, so self-assured that
nobody can convert them. They do not alter their mind not even before
John the Baptist, «he didn't eat bread or drink wine» (Lk
7:33), and accuse him of having an evil spirit; they do not change
either before the Son of Man, «eating and drinking», and
they say «Look, a glutton for food and wine», and «a
friend of tax collectors and sinners» (Lk 7:34). Their
pride and arrogance are hiding behind these accusations: nobody is to
teach them anything; they do not accept God, but they custom-make
their own God, a God that would not move them from their convenience,
privileges and involvement.
We are also running
this risk. How often do we criticize everything: whether the Church
says so, or because she has said that, or even when she says just the
contrary...; and we could just as well find all sort of faults when
referring to God or to others. In actual fact, however, and perhaps
unconsciously, we want to justify our laziness and lack of ambition
for a true conversion, to excuse our own convenience and lack of
pliancy. St. Bernard says: «What is more logic than
acknowledging our own wounds and scars, especially when one shields
them so they are not seen? From this we may infer that, ultimately,
even if somebody else discovers them, we might stubbornly defend that
they are not wounds, and leave our heart abandoned to deceiving
words».
We
must leave the Word of God to reach our heart and convert us,
transforming us with its strength. But first, we must request the
gift of humility. Only the humble souls are able to receive the grace
of God and, therefore, let Him come close to us, since as “publicans”
and “sinners” that we are we need him to heal us. ¡Woe
betide those who claim that do not need a doctor! The worst for any
diseased is to believe he is sane, because then the sickness will
progress and he will never recover his health. We are all sick to
death, and only Christ can save us, whether we realize it or not. Let
us thank our Saviour, and let us welcome him as such!
