looking and sounding religious - 5th week tuesday 2018

Many of the laws observed by the Jews in Jesus’ time were somehow either an over-extension or a distortion of the original law.  For example the law of washing of hands.  Originally this was prescribed only for levites or for priests – that they wash their hands before offering the sacrifice to God.  The Jews however extended this law of washing hands before every meal so that they can give the meal also a religious significance.  So, that’s where this practice came from and began to be scrupulously observed.

Distortions in the law also happened for example the law for the support of the temple.  A person has to make financial contributions for the upkeep of the temple.  But it happened that when a person donates money for the upkeep of the temple he is absolved from supporting his parents, he is exempted from fulfilling his duty to observe the 4th commandment.  It was called corban.  This is a clear distortion of the law kay man ang kwarta nga usaron mo pa tani sa pagsuporta sa imo ginikanan ginhatag mo sa templo kag gani wala ka na obligasyon sa ila.  Sa aton panan-aw subong daw ka balingag gid.  But that was the practice that people do and a practice which Jesus condemned.
Here we are reminded that many wrong and despicable things are done under the cloak of piety, that many grave injustices and even dishonesty are being done in the name of religion.  Ginahimo ang religious practices nga rason agod maexempt kita sa mga obligasyon naton sa isa kag isa.  Bantayan gid naton ini.  Indi ko mapakaon ang nagamasakit ko nga nanay kay may prayer meeting pa ako.  Naga-undertime ako sa opisina pirme-pirme gid kay masimba ako.  Maamot ako sa simbahan but the money comes from corruption or even an injustice done to others.  Or using my priesthood to take advantage of people using donations to enrich yourself, to buy myself a beautiful car.  These are signs of which Jesus has warned us, using the cloak of piety in order to take advantage of others or using the cloak of piety to exempt us from doing our responsibilities well.  Be careful about this.  It may sound and look  religious but in reality it is not.


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