The Pharisees. Have you ever wondered how you would have acted if you were one in the time of Christ? Everything they did revolved around the Torah. Yes, some (most?) used it as a way to rule over a class of people and use it for their own personal gain, but the original purpose of the Torah is sound. If that way of life, given to you by the word of God, has worked for centuries and you were brought up that way, would you have changed?

That question can be answered with what you, Steven, said about the Spirit. God gave us a conscience. No matter how you want to look at it, it is a gift from God. Yes, in the case of David, it sure makes it easier to listen to when that little voice talking to you comes from the mouth of God, or in the case of the Pharisees, in the presence of God, but it is up to us to choose to use or, as in today’s readings, listen to it. Those who have ears….

Mark