We sometimes come across certain words or messages which are difficult to accept or swallow. When we are confronted with such words, what do we do? Some of us may try to avoid the words altogether, thinking that they will go away or even be forgotten. Some of us may try to find ways and means to interpret the words so that they mean something else, or at the very least they sound a little more palatable to us. Some of us may take offence and begin to find ways to discredit the person uttering such words. But how many of us are willing to accept such word as a means to improve oneself; or to take heart such words; or even to take such words with a pinch of salt, especially if we are quite certain that such words do not apply to us, instead of over-reacting?
In today’s Gospel, we see how the Pharisees were not able to understand or even misunderstood Jesus. This is because their minds were already so fixated and they refused to admit who Jesus is, even though they could clearly see who Jesus is from His words and deeds. These Pharisees even began to think of what to refute or retort, instead of taking the trouble or the effort to understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. When the heart is stubbornly closed, or when a person has become so proud, egoistic and arrogant, it is certainly very difficult to help a person to change or become better or grow closer to God. May we take caution and not end up becoming like the Pharisees, so that God may help us transform into something better.