Word to the Wise
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - Wednesday in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Cor 9:6-11 and Matt 6:1-6, 16-18]"Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.."
One of the most difficult and distinct features of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is its emphasis on MOTIVE as well as on behavior. This element was not missing in the Mosaic Code, but by the time Jesus appeared, the Jewish authorities were emphasizing external observance without reference to motive. Jesus "calls them out" on this. We may recall a bit earlier that Jesus says: "Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." The issue here is not the external behavior but the reason for acting - a matter of doing the right thing for the wrong reason. This is a form of hypocrisy.
All of this goes to the matter of integrity. Jesus asks us to match our motives and our actions so that there is a witness of integrity. In today's gospel scripture Jesus mentions three prominent forms of religious witness: almsgiving, fasting and praying. He points a finger at those who do these good acts simply because they want public acclaim, not because the acts are good things to do.
Any preacher unaware of his or her own shortcomings in acting on what they preach is a charlatan. We all must struggle with our motives and desires for recognition and affirmation. Jesus simply challenges us to do the right thing for the right reason, but from experience we know that this can be as difficult as it is simple! Our Catholic tradition provides the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help us integrate motive and action, but that is just the beginning each time of a lifetime process. AMEN