Dwight Burdette
Years ago, when I was a cantor there was an older couple that sat in the front row of every Mass they attended. To say that they were pious would be an understatement. Whenever Father uttered the words “Let us pray” they would screw their eyes shut, hold their hands out in front of them and fervently moved their lips as if they had the entire Roman Missal memorized. They genuflected lower than necessary. They buried their heads in their hands after communion and they liked to nod along with the readings as if they understood scripture better than the rest of the congregation.
Needless to say, the two bugged me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I always got the feeling that they were putting on a show. I don’t mean to be judgmental, but there was something strangely insincere about the way they made all of these grand gestures during Mass as though they loved God more than anyone else did. However, when it came to the Sign of Peace, they didn’t go out of their way to reach out and shake hands those in the pews around them. If someone managed to sit directly beside them, they would extend a greeting, but they typically managed to be somewhat isolated so that they never had to turn around. It was…odd and personally, I had a bit more respect for the teenage kid who often nodded off during the homily. I mean, it might not have been the right thing to do during Mass, but at least it was genuine.
I only had one interaction with the couple in question. It was 1993 and it was during the Newcomers dinner, which they signed up to help host. (How’s that for irony?) After going through the food line and sitting with my son at a table by ourselves without anyone saying anything to either one of us, the dynamic duo came up to tell me how much they enjoyed my singing.
“You are such a breath of fresh air,” the man said.
“A real asset to the parish,” his wife agreed, nodding.
I felt terrible. For months, I allowed them to drive me to distraction and here they were being nothing but kind. Perhaps I misjudged them, I thought, wondering if they might join us at our table. I quickly looked around to make sure we had enough chairs.
But as quickly as they arrived, they were gone again. They ambled over to a table of long-time parishioners, leaving my son and me to dine alone. They didn’t ask us to join them and they didn’t even speak to any of the other newbies along the way. Perhaps they thought they had done enough by putting their name on the event and saying a quick hello as they passed by. I don’t know and while I’m not sure what Emily Post or Miss Manners would say about their behavior, I am pretty positive there was an etiquette breech in there somewhere.
However, I do know what Jesus said about it. Time and time again, he warned against those whose words and actions lack intent. They may know how to put on a good show, but they do not know how to give a heartfelt performance. It may impress a few people sitting nearby, but God still knows when they are “phoning it in.”
Look, I’m not perfect and Lord knows there have been times when I have not practiced what I preach but I’ve learned that while you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time…you can’t fool God.
Today’s readings for Mass: RU 2: 1-3, 8-11, 4: 13-17; PS 128: 1B-2, 3, 4, 5; MT 23:1-12
