Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - Tuesday in the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 and Matthew 23:23-26]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.
My personal and pastoral experience tells me that the image of the inside and outside of the cup is one that can be very helpful in spiritual and moral life! Many of us feel like hypocrites because we know that our appearance belies our motives! The statement of it goes often life this: "If only he/she/they knew how I really think/feel about this, he/she/they would hate me!" Notice in the first scripture today how St. Paul makes a point of speaking about his motives for preaching the gospel: But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed - God is witness - nor did we seek praise from men either from you or from others....." Hypocrisy is a word that comes from ancient theater. It referred to the character masks that actors wore to identify the person speaking on stage! The modern derivation means pretty much that a hypocrite wears a mask to cover up their true character. And so do we all at times. But, it is one thing to wear a mask, and quite another to attempt to live up to the gospel and fail because of weak humanity. The failure may be internal (motives) or external (actions) but what we strive for is an integrity that brings both the inside and outside together! The hypocrite avoids this effort. This is why Jesus attacks the scribes and Pharisees! In general, the hypocrite divides the action from the motive and destroys real integrity. The public failures of some ministers are graphic examples, but they are no different from the "smaller fry" that we are! Much of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew is directed at the necessary effort to bring our "inside" into alignment with our "outside." Our feelings and motives are part of who we are, our very self. St. Paul says it well in the last sentence of the first scripture today: With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us. I find that a good way to think pastorally, but the challenge is more than that. The integrity demanded by Jesus' teaching is a challenge to all of us. AMEN
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