Pure Worship (31st Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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The book of Malachi is listed last among the books of the Old Testament. It details life in post-Exilic Israel. The temple had been rebuilt, levitical worship had been re-established, and idolatry had been stomped out of the land.
Despite this, however, all was not well, as the people were frequently guilty of various injustices against one another, as well as lapses in the rigour of their worship (as manifested by their offering of blemished animals at the temple). Even the priests were not exempt from this, as they frequently encouraged such lapses in worship.

In our present reading, God warns the priests that He will not tolerate such a lax attitude towards worship and the keeping of the Law. He warns them that if they persist in this, they would receive His curse, and be punished as violators of the Mosaic Covenant. He reminds them that they are all God’s children, and He as their Father would not tolerate the mistreatment of any of His children. He also reminds them that as the Almighty Creator, He expects nothing less than pure worship from His covenant people.

This chapter in Israel’s history was written for our instruction as well. Frequently, we fail to meet the demands of God’s justice, and are also frequently lax in our attitude towards worship. We must take God’s instructions seriously, by providing for the less fortunate around us, taking care not to defraud or exploit them, and to approach God with awe and reverence, most especially when it comes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. After all, God deserves nothing but the very best that we can offer Him.

J. Luis Dizon