We are not the beginning and end of all. God is. We are not the center of the universe. God is. We are created, dependent beings. We are not free to run our lives independently, doing as we please. Since we received life from God we owe him everything. God made everything, and everything he made was good and for his glory. Therefore, when we pattern our lives in faith and obedience to his plan then we live in the fullest experience of his blessing. Today’s Gospel reading speaks to us about traditions that hinder us from seeing things clearly and from obeying the Law of God. Additionally, we fail to see things from another perspective making us quick to judge just because we do not realize that others have different ways of living their lives, different cultures. Our cultures and traditions should not cause strife between communities, rather we should learn to accept and love everyone. Let us reflect on how we could change, improve or adapt our traditions through God’s word?

PRAYER: Abba Father, we pray for humility and acceptance. Often we are not able to see beyond what we observe, forgive us. Amen.