Consequences
“Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet. (Mt 21:43-46)
There are consequences to our actions. We all know that. We have learned that from our youth.
What we often fail to take into account, however, are the eternal consequences that our actions have.
Consequences are not always temporary. Sometimes, they are forever.
Jesus, in today’s Gospel, was speaking to people who were doing their own thing rather than following the laws of God. Even worse than doing their own thing, they were warping, bending, their religion to meet they own agenda. Jesus told them, via the parable, that the Kingdom would not be for them.
They became enraged.
In their rage, they wanted nothing more than to rid themselves of Jesus — just as they had done with a vast number of the prophets prior to the Lord’s time.
The only thing stopping them was the devotion of the crowd.
They knew that, in order to get to the Lord, they would have to turn the crowds against Him. Ultimately, they were able to do so and, at that time, they crucified the Lord.
What they should have done was accept the Lord’s words and mend their ways.
FAITH ACTION: Knowing that God calls us to repent can lead to anger or to humility. Be humble this day and ask God for the grace to return to Him.
Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence.