“Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.” When Jesus spoke these words to the crowds gathered before him in today’s gospel, he was referring to the Pharisees. The Pharisees dressed differently than everyone else, and people thought they must be holier than the average person, simply because of their position in the religious community. Therefore, the Jewish people treated the Pharisees with extra respect and gave them certain courtesies that were not shown to the average person. It sounds like the Jewish people put the Pharisees on a pedestal, looked up to them, and greatly esteemed them as their spiritual leaders.
However, at the core of their being, the Pharisees were not who they appeared to be. From the outside looking in, the Pharisees were doing all the right things, saying all the right things, and outwardly played the part of a holy person, when in fact, they were anything but holy. In the depths of their hearts, they were critical, judgmental and hurtful to those underneath them. In other words, they were not genuinely holy, they were fakes.
Aside from the outer trappings of religion, what is genuine holiness then? Most of us would answer that love for God and love for other people is what constitutes holiness. This is the clearest indicator of holiness in a person.
Looks can be deceiving though. Being at church a lot, smiles, handshakes, hugs, and charitable acts seem like the way to tell if a person is growing in holiness. But, is it really, underneath it all?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 explains the difference between genuine holiness, and the fake holiness of the Pharisees very well:
“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
As we continue reading the gospel today though, we reach the last two verses that Jesus said:
“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Devout Catholics will sometimes go overboard trying to live out these verses in today’s gospel. It’s possible to do what Christ asked of us, by being humble and of service to others though, in an attempt to make ourselves holy. It is a temptation to think, that if we work really hard at being humble and serving others, we will become holy. There are some Catholics who seem go out of their way to work at humility and service to others, but it is a hidden form of pride. This is a great temptation for devout Catholics, to follow the gospel closely, but for their own benefit (to grow in holiness), or for the goal of becoming a saint.
Genuine holiness is always about the ‘other person’ though, not ourselves. This is the true essence of what the gospel was all about today.
Today is a good day to take an honest look at our sins though, and go to confession, if it has been a while since our last confession. We have all sinned, and have shortcomings and weaknesses, but things can be set right again, through the Lord’s forgiveness, and God’s grace.
Daily Mass Readings:
Ezekiel 43: 1-7b / Psalm 85 / Matthew 23: 1-12
