Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 27, 2019 - Tuesday in the 21th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Thess 2:1-8 and Matt 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." [Matthew]
AUGUST 27 ST. MONICA (mother of St. Augustine)
The Gospel According to Matthew is, in many ways, the most "Jewish" of the four gospels. There is a concern with the heritage of Moses and with the observance of the Mosaic Law, as interpreted in Jesus' time and the time immediately following the destruction of the temple. Jesus is portrayed as a kind of "New Moses" who fulfills the whole purpose of the Mosaic Law and replaces it with a new interpretation. This brought Jesus and the early Christian preachers into conflict with the zealous observants of the law, the Pharisees and scribes. There were two levels of this. First, Jesus seemed to be casual about things like "work" on the sabbath (e.g. healing) or eating and drinking with people who were either public sinners or engaged in activities that caused ritual impurity (tax collectors). Second, he denounced the Pharisees and scribes for using their knowledge of the law to manipulate other people and for self-gain. He denounces them as hypocrites. One of the principal characteristics of Jesus' preaching in this gospel, especially in the Sermon on the Mount is that interior motivation is as important as exterior observance! Hence, the inside of the cup has to be as clean as the outside!
Lest we start pointing a finger of judgment, it should be noted that Matthew has Jesus addressing the collection of "woes" in Chapter 23 not only to the crowds, but also to his disciples. It is all too easy for some folks to become Catholic Pharisees, obsessed with observances and correct performance of ritual or devotional acts. This can happen to sincere folks who worry that if they somehow forget to do one little thing in a devotion, (or if a priest doesn't do every single step) that the whole thing is "invalid," as if faith is a game subject to instant replay. Knowledge of our faith and its many traditions does not entitle us to be superior to anyone, but rather should motivate us to share it in a healthy way. This has to include care for those who are suffering or somehow excluded. Keeping our motives clear and clean all the time can be a struggle, but that is the challenge of faith, and that faith tells us that God is merciful and always ready to help us get up and move on when we fail. AMEN