All the blessings and gifts we possess come to us from God and in order that they bear fruit, St James tells us, …you must do what the Word tells you. In other words, we must strive to focus our energies not on ourselves, but on others. The Scribes and Pharisees did not understand this, their focus was principally on themselves, and not on the needs of others. They saw themselves as beyond criticism simply because they as the Law of God required of them. This is an easy trap for anyone to fall into! We can fall into it for similar reasons. All it takes to spring it is for us to forget that a life of faith is one that seeks conversion of heart. To help us remedy this God has given us the wonderful sacrament of confession. Since we all have tendencies to fall away from what is true, He offers us a sure way back onto the right path, an escape route from the trap. The Cross is both our symbol and a constant reminder of both the historical gift of Jesus and of His ever-renewed invitation to join Him in living the joyous gift that is sacrificial love. To be able to truly consider the needs of others over our own needs we must leave all sense selfishness behind and begin again to live the Love of God.
It is: coming to the help of orphans and widows.
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