Some of us may have been guilty of being scrupulous in our way of life. What does scrupulous mean? It basically means that a person is very concerned to avoid doing wrong, and the person would come up with all kinds of laws or restrictions to prevent any possible wrong the person thinks could be commited. One example of being scrupulous would be the way some Jews live their lives even today. During the sabbath, some hotels would have the elevators stop and open at every floor, so that such Jews would not need to push the elevator floor button, since to such Jews, even pushing the elevator floor button is considered work, and they believe that no work can be done during the sabbath, no matter how minute the task may be.
In today's Gospel, we
come across another example of being scrupulous in the Pharisees and some of the scribes, who thought that
loving God means following their traditions and way of life. These
people were so extreme in following their own rules and regulations, so
much so that they were even willing to circumvent or bypass the true
meaning of God's laws, for the convenience and observance of their own, for they were more concerned about avoiding doing wrong.
This is why Jesus scolded them when He exclaimed: "It was of you
hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of
scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their
hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the
doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the
commandment of God to cling to human traditions."
What
about us? Are we guilty of being scrupulous? Let us be mindful and careful not
to become like these Pharisees and scribes, who do things in such a scrupulous manner, only to appear
to be good and holy. Let us instead follow the example of Jesus, who
loves us all and does all things for the greater glory of God.
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