Formalism, disregarding justice and the love of God, is like a monster. A disciple of Christ must practice the liturgy

 

Formalism, disregarding justice and the love of God, is like a monster. A disciple of Christ must practice the liturgy as a manifestation of God's saving action and not as a personal chain. The beauty of a person is found in the way he or she places himself or herself in the world, taking into account a total dedication to the things of God and to the care of those who need almost everything. The brilliance of a life is in the practice of good that it carries out.

2. Attachment to honors. Disciples should have as their only joy the beauty of humbly serving the Lord, without fear of facing possible rejections, from the simplest to the most cruel. Wanting honor means advertising oneself, worrying about one's own personal "little world", allowing oneself to be imprisoned by the traps of achievements, or even of a reality that does not belong to oneself. 3. Addicted. A disciple should never place his or her life in the guise of holiness, keeping a carrion inside him or herself. There are many who are addicted to showing off, who like praise, applause, the village they have built, being called great, unsurpassable, holy, impeccable, knowledgeable of the law, etc.; such things are part of those who use the name of God, the Law of God, to hide and manipulate others. It is a terrible addiction! 4. The Law as a burden. Disciples must never resemble the hypocritical teachers of the law and the scribes. Their life must be a gift, their pleasure, to do exclusively the will of God; their joy: to serve selflessly; their wealth: Christ the Master himself, the only Master; their mission: to free the world from the yoke of sin, giving people the possibility of salvation. The teachers of the Law, attached to the Law, but thinking of themselves, of taking advantage of it and having it only for the Jewish world itself. The Law of God is liberation and it is universal. Only those who become a gift to others in Jesus Christ can truly be capable of giving the Law its true meaning and action in practice.