Daily Thought For August 26, 2020

-

 Avoiding the Snare of the Pharisees


Lectio

Matthew 23:27–32

Meditatio

“… on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.”

Jesus sounds harsh in his rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees in this Gospel. It might sound as if he is rebuking some terrible sinners. But the people of Jesus’ day did not consider the scribes and Pharisees as sinners, as they did the tax collectors and prostitutes. The scribes were religious professionals—something like priests and religious today. And the Pharisees were laymen who were trying to live their faith fully, beyond the bare minimum—something like Catholics who go to daily Mass. Jesus’ rebuke is also addressed to us. On the outside we may look like good and holy people. Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t. It’s praiseworthy to raise our children conscientiously; dress modestly; and give of our time, talent, and treasure in charitable works. But what is on the inside? What is in our hearts? Jesus comes back to this many times in the Gospel.

“Evildoing” is a strong word. How do we do evil “inside”? Even if our actions—the things we do—are good on the surface, in our hearts we can have thoughts and motives that are less than good. For example, we might be judgmental of others, considering ourselves better because of our good actions. Or we might envy others, hoping they will fail or that something negative about them will come to light so we will appear better by comparison. The possibilities are endless! It’s important to remember that temptation is not the same as evildoing. We might have the temptation to envy someone—in other words, the feeling comes to us, unbidden. But if we are truthful with ourselves, we will know whether we resisted that thought or gave it room in our heart. Jesus is pointing out that we need to keep careful watch over our hearts, so that our actions might flow out of a good heart as we follow him.

Oratio

Jesus, give me the courage and honesty to look into my own heart and find the hypocrisy and evildoing that I have allowed to enter but which I want to clear out of my life. I know I must do this interior work regularly because, despite my best intentions, I allow certain things to creep back in. Jesus, my heart is for you. Help me keep it free and loving, that you may dwell there.

Contemplatio

My heart belongs to you, Lord.

Daughters of St. Paul. (2011). Ordinary Grace Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections. (M. G. Dateno & M. L. Trouvé, Eds.) (pp. 70–71). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Thought For October 23, 2022

-
  Powerful Reflection from The Word Among Us Let’s not get off on the wrong foot with the Pharisee in this parable. He seemed to be doing pretty well spiritually. He was not greedy, dishonest, or adulterous. He fasted twice a week and went so far as to pay tithes on all his income. He prayed at the Temple regularly. That was better than most people. So why did Jesus say he didn’t go home justified? Because the Temple was a place of encounter with God. A holy location where God and his children came together. This Pharisee seemed to be missing that connection with the Lord. Instead of speaking his prayer to God, he prayed “to himself” (Luke 18:11) and itemized his accomplishments. By focusing on his righteous acts, he was not really making himself present to God. He wasn’t inviting God to be present to him either. So he missed the chance to encounter God and receive his mercy and grace. In that sense, the Pharisee left the Temple basically the same way he had entered. The tax collector,
Read more

Daily Thought For May 12, 2016

-
With God Setbacks Become Opportunities EVERY TIME something thwarts your plans or desires, use that as a reminder to communicate with Me. This practice has several benefits. The first is obvious: Talking with Me blesses you and strengthens our relationship. Another benefit is that disappointments, instead of dragging you down, are transformed into opportunities for good. This transformation removes the sting from difficult circumstances, making it possible to be joyful in the midst of adversity.  Begin by practicing this discipline in all the little disappointments of daily life. It is often these minor setbacks that draw you away from My Presence. When you reframe setbacks as opportunities, you find that you gain much more than you have lost. It is only after much training that you can accept major losses in this positive way. But it is possible to attain the perspective of the apostle Paul, who wrote:  Compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, I consider eve
Read more