Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - Tuesday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gal 5:1-6 and Luke 11:37-41]For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit yourself to the yoke of slavery.... For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. [Galatians] "Oh, you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you." [Luke]
Jesus' comment about the inside and outside always captures my attention. We all struggle with the issue of integrity. In the case of the Pharisees, Jesus was accusing them of a lack of integrity because they were emphasizing outward observance of the Mosaic Law but were manipulating that law to their own benefit. But it was more than just being masters of the "loopholes in the law." Meticulous observance of "kosher" and other items of daily life was taking precedence over love of neighbor. The "outside" was what really mattered, not the "inside."
Hypocrisy is not just a matter of saying one thing and doing another. It goes to the integrity of thought and action. I think most of us experience some dissonance between our thoughts and actions. The challenge is to bring thoughts closer to Jesus' teachings through faith so that our actions will reflect them. The Sacrament of Reconciliation challenges us to be reconciled with ourselves as well as with our neighbor. It is a matter of integrity and wholeness. One might say that "wholeness" is a prerequisite to "holiness!" This is the freedom that St. Paul is pointing to in his Letter to the Galatians. Our faith is to be directed toward Christ and not toward a particular system of observance. We Catholics with a detailed Catechism and Code of Canon Law and liturgical "rubrics" need to remind ourselves, just as Jesus reminded the scribes and Pharisees, that the two greatest commandments are the love of God and neighbor. Without those two commandments, the others are just "outside observance." AMEN