Saint Augustine of Hippo
Religious Integrity
In the Gospel today, we see the last two of the seven woes to the Pharisees. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.” "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous...Thus, you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets..."
Jesus issued a stern warning to the scribes and Pharisees not to condemn them but to call them to examine their hearts in the light of God's truth and holiness. Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts were set on pleasing themselves rather than God. A hypocrite is an actor or imposter who says one thing but does the opposite or who puts on an outward appearance of doing good while inwardly clinging to wrong attitudes, selfish desires and ambitions, or bad intentions. Many scribes and Pharisees had made it a regular practice to publicly put on a good show of outward zeal and piety with the intention of winning greater honors, privileges, and favors among the people.
Jesus is very critical of people who appear to be very good Christians but who have very little or nothing of the Christian spirit. Such people are often a danger to others who might be deceived into following them. The Christian way of life is transmitted from generation to generation. Every generation of Christians has a record of heroic men and women who are models of the way of life taught by Jesus Christ. Such people encourage us to continue steadfastly on the right way without being deceived by false and pretentious guides. These are the people we should become and should always imitate.
How can you tell if someone is real or fake, genuine or counterfeit? Outward appearances can be deceptive. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:3-4). The heart reveals the true intentions and attitudes that form the way we think of others and treat them. Jesus used strong language to warn the religious leaders and teachers about the vanity of outward appearance and pretense - wearing a mask that hides the true intentions and thoughts of the heart. In Palestine tombs were often placed by the sides of roads. They were painted white which made them glisten in the midday sun, especially around the time of the great feasts, so that people would not accidentally touch them and incur ritual impurity.
Our invitation today is to examine our lives and see where we are or not living hypocritical lives. Jesus told the Pharisees that, while they appeared beautiful on the outside, they were full of filth inside. He looked directly into their souls, as he does into ours. Power, beauty, and honor can corrupt. If we’re beautiful on the outside, praise him. If we’re in leadership positions, like the Pharisees were, depend on him. If we’re being honored, it’s because Jesus allowed it. Only by relying solely on Jesus, and not on our own gifts and strengths, will we avoid condemnation like the Pharisees. May Jesus never say to us, “Woe to you.” Pray for these graces and help from God today. Pray also to live an authentic and integral Christian life.
Let us Pray.
Make me always to live the life of integrity so that my interior will inform the exterior and that whatever I do should be reflecting the exterior. Amen.
Be blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment