Blind

God does not have a problem with sinners – the Divine Mercy is evidence of that.  Rather, the problem that God has is with UNREPENTANT sinners…  Because unrepentant sinners are blind and the blind will never see.

Christ and the Magdalene (Arthur Hacket)

Christ was always very hard in His conversations with and about the Pharisees.

“And he called the people to him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.’ Then the disciples came and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’ He answered, ‘Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.’” (Matthew 15:1-2.10-14).

And I have been reflecting on that today.  Christ – who was so compassionate to the worst of sinners – was hard and firm with the Pharisees.  Saint Matthew the Apostle was a tax collector.  A tax collector was considered a traitor and a thief.  They were basically the earliest form of Mafia and Organised Crime, because they were employed by Rome and while collecting the very large Roman taxes they would also add some fees to the top (illegally) to exhort the taxpayers and to line their own pockets.  As they had the relationship with Rome and the taxpayers did not there was very little avenue for recourse for those taxpayers as they were forced to spend their time and energy earning enough money to feed into the taxes and cover their debts to Rome and the tax collector.  And when Christ saw Saint Matthew, He did not hesitate – He called Him.  And Saint Matthew followed Christ.  He left everything – the money, the power, the wealth, the relationship with Rome – and followed.

Christ called Saint Mary Magdalene as well…  She was possessed of seven devils.  And when she is described like that what the description is really saying, is that she committed adultery – having been possessed of the devil of lust.  And then all manner of other sins.  She was about to be executed for her sins.  And Christ not only saved her, but He publicly defended her, and despite any possible gossip at the time or any possibly reflection on His own nature or character, Christ loved her completely and she followed Him – even unto death and after His resurrection…

And I have been reflecting on why there is such a difference in the way that Christ treated those who were sinners in His company and those who were the Pharisees, and I believe it is because the Pharisees were BLIND…

They were sinners who refused – through their own pride – to acknowledge that someone else (God Himself) might know more than they did.  And in order to maintain their pride, they continued to enforce unachievable rules on others while breaking those rules themselves.  And because Christ is God and can see the state of their soul, He was able to understand all of this and He did not accept it.  You see, God does not have a problem with sinners – the Divine Mercy is evidence of that.  Rather, the problem that God has is with UNREPENTANT sinners…  Because unrepentant sinners are blind and the blind will never see.

And as I have been thinking about that today, I pray for the Grace to see – every, single time…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.