HYPOCRISY AT ITS BEST
Memorial of St. Monica
My dear encountered couples:
It is easier to do things that are prescribed by law than to really put ourselves into the spirit and purpose of the law. To come to Mass, to receive the sacraments, to contribute our money, to voice our belief in the doctrines of the Church - in other words - to go through the motions of religion is much easier than meaning what we are doing and trying to live better, loving lives every moment of everyday. This is what Jesus was telling the scribes and Pharisees.
They paid their tithes, but they were not just nor merciful. They didn’t even contribute in good faith. They did it for selfish, deceptive purposes. They wanted to appear holy, but inside they gave shelter to evil purposes and pursuits. Make yourselves better inside, Jesus told them. Your outside actions will then follow from your goodness.
Does your Mass attendance, your reception of the sacraments, your contributions, your proclamations of belief, all your religious practices result in your being nice to live with? Does all your praying for others lead you to treat others with compassion and patience? Or do they have no influence at all on your life in the world with others? Are you one thing in church and another at home, or at the office, or in school?
Look at yourself. Compare your religious doings with your daily life doings. Do they relate? Or are they divorced from one another like Jesus and Satan? We all need to listen to Jesus, “First cleanse the inside of the cup so that its outside may be clean.”
