Both Paul’s and Jesus’ words today seem so contradictory. Yet, both are delivering the same message. Paul tells us that whether he is engaged in manual labor or speaking about God to the people, he is doing it for the glory of God. On the other hand, Jesus is reprimanding the scribes and Pharisees for constructing monuments and tombs; for doing so many actions for outward show. So, who is right—Jesus or Paul? Aha! This is not a trick question. Every action, every thought, every prayer—all depend on our motive.
Why do we spend personal time with our God each day? Why are we faithful to our duties according to our state in life? Why do we extend ourselves to others—friends or strangers—in help? Paul gives us the answer: We treat you as God treats you, part of our family.
I must admit that Jesus’ words to the scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel remind me of the scolding lectures my mother gave me about my behavior when I was a teenager. I guess, like the Pharisees, I seldom seemed to get the message. Now we are all older. We monitor our words and actions. We have cultivated a loving relationship with God. Through the past weeks we have read and chewed on how the Israelites wavered in their commitment to God. Their motive seemed to be comfort, not the good that God desired for them.
So, Jesus is now angry at the Pharisees and scribes—supposedly his religious people. From their outward actions, they delight in externals and require more of others than they do of themselves. So, where do today’s readings leave us?
Obviously, Jesus is asking us: “Why do you do what you do?” Who we are doesn’t matter. What kind of work we do; whether we live in a rent-controlled or an upscale apartment; how many tattoos we have; where we are employed—all of these factors are not important. Jesus is asking us to consider “WHY we do what we do.” No need for a long, annotated examination of conscience. It is our relationship with God that counts. If this relationship is personal and genuine, then our love extends to everyone universally. Someone once said, “To be holy is to be fully human.” So, Jesus is asking us to live out our humanity according to the prescriptions he has given us: the works of mercy, the beatitudes, and the Our Father. Let’s take some time today to re-evaluate how we respond to the guidelines that this God who loves us unconditionally gave us.
In her album, Awakening Consciousness, Jan Novotka sings,
“It’s not what you do but how you do it. It’s not what you see but how you see. It’s not what you say, what you know or achieve. But it’s the presence, the presence you are.”