Don't make life harder

Jesus, help me make life easier for others, not harder! Amen.

"Some people wear fancy clothes to look holy and burden others too much," Jesus said. "They show off when they pray and want to be called 'Master.' But you have only one master: God. Those who praise themselves will be humbled, but the humble will be praised."

Has a grownup ever said to you, "Why do you make things so hard?" Your parents may say that when they're trying to rush you out the door to go somewhere, and you're trying to finish a video game first.

You might even think they're the ones making life harder -- why not let you finish your game, then get ready to go?

Jesus would understand both points of view. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 23:1-12), He talks about people who make life harder for others in different ways -- and says He doesn't like it.

In Jesus' time, the Scribes and Pharisees were really into laws. They forced others to obey every law, threatening punishments if they didn't. People's lives got so hard with so many laws that it was discouraging. No one could do everything right!

Most people don't mean to make someone's life harder. If you're playing when it's time to leave home, you don't keep playing to bug your parents, but because you want to finish. Your parents don't yell to hurt your feelings, but to try and get somewhere on time.

Even Scribes and Pharisees probably didn't want to hurt people with their laws. They wanted everyone to be close to God and thought the way to do that was to do everything perfectly.

Jesus advised us to be humble. That means sometimes you quit a game before you finish, instead of thinking it's more important than leaving. For your parents, it might mean reminding you it's time to go instead of yelling.

For everyone, it means remembering that God is really our "master," asking ourselves what Jesus would tell us to do -- and doing it!