Kulandai Albert csc –
Readings: Gen 12: 1-9; Mt 7: 1-5
Today’s liturgy of the word brings to our attention the idea of the pilgrimage of blessings. In the book of Genesis God Called Abraham and promised him that he would multiply his descendants as the stars in the sky. He would be their God and give them a land forever. He would bless Abraham and his descendants so that, through them, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Abraham’s pilgrimage started with complete trust in the real God. It was a pilgrimage of blessings to an unknown destination in which he encountered different people in different lands. In all of Abraham’s pilgrimages he was blessed.
Therefore, like Abraham, our pilgrimage begins when we trust in God and put our faith in him. Many times, we face difficulties and are distracted with many things. The gospel speaks about hypocrisy, which distracts our focus in our pilgrimage. Jesus taught his disciples not to judge other people because they would be judged by the same standard. He explained this point with the humorous image of a man with a log in his own eye yet attempting to remove a speck in his brother’s eye. Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, seeing the fluid in another while ignoring the obvious sin in our own lives. All of us are on a pilgrimage. In our journey we will face many difficulties and struggles.
It is when we realize and rise from those circumstances that our pilgrimage becomes a blessing. Christian life is a life of faith. Therefore, in our journey we need to have trust and faith in Jesus who is our Lord and savior. Let us pray for the grace of perseverance and humility in our pilgrimage.