Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Tuesday in the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
[Galatians 5:1-6 and Luke 11:37-41]Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
Jesus' denunciation of the hypocrisy of certain Pharisees is based on a simple principle. Outward behavior should reflect inward disposition. It was no sin to be a Pharisee, but the way some of them utilized "the system" for their own benefit and tried to control the tiniest details of ordinary life, all under the pretext of divine law, irritated Jesus who could read their hearts! In this election year, I wonder if we would benefit from the Lord's ability to read hearts! Would we even WANT to have that ability? True integrity means that statements and conduct should be of one piece with interior motivations and intentions. When the connection is weak or non-existent there is little or no integrity to the moral character of a person. Political life seems to "play by its own rules" and we wind up electing public officials on the basis of statements made during the electoral process that often show a lack of integrity. This is defended on the basis of a general statement like, "Oh, everyone knows that this stuff is just said for the sake of getting votes!" In short, truth is not truth in an election. This is morally dangerous because Catholics (and others) are being asked to form their consciences on the basis of campaign promises or political platforms! It is sad to see otherwise qualified persons (no matter what their "party affiliation" is) misrepresenting one another and facts in order to obtain the opportunity to serve in high office. There is a "disconnect" between the outside and the inside. We and they should remember the Lord made both. There will be a day of reckoning and it won't be an election day! AMEN
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