After rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus
turns to his disciples, issuing a stern warning to them, telling them that they
should not be led astray by the Pharisees, who live by double standards. The Pharisees are concerned with the outward
appearance of being holy, but they neglect their inner spiritual lives &
judge others harshly by these same outward standards. The Pharisees may look holy through their
outward practices & their elegant robes, but the appearance of things can
be deceiving. The disciples may have
been confused by these comments; they may not have yet seen the Pharisees for
who they really were.
When we were preparing for the arrival
of the new translation of the Roman Missal in English, which we received at the
beginning of Advent last year, we discussed the importance of liturgy
connecting to our lives and the importance of our liturgy reflecting the truths
of God which we profess. In other words,
our liturgy and our lives should dialogue with one another and should reflect
what is going on in our interior spiritual lives. Our liturgy should not be an empty, hollow
outward gesture.
Those who have given up their lives for
our faith know what it really means to live the Gospel and to give meaning to
it. Throughout history, many men and
women have given up their lives for the faith, willing to be enduring witnesses
to the values and teachings of Jesus.
Today we celebrate the memorial of Jean de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues, two
Jesuit priests from France who were among the first to bring the Gospel to
North America in the 17th century in present-day Quebec and New York
state. Both men suffered great violence
in their ministry to the Mohawk and Huron tribes. Isaac Jogues even had to get special
dispensation from the pope in order to continue to celebrate mass, since he lost many
fingers from the torture he endured, and under the old rules of canon law, a priest
had to be able to pick up the host with his thumb & forefinger. Eventually, both died very violent, painful
deaths for the faith. Yet, they came to
America with a heart for the missions, knowing the dangers that were
present. Even though Jean de Brebeuf and
Isaac Jogues lived many centuries ago, their witness of faith still speaks so
strongly today across time and space; their belief in the resurrection and the
new life they have in Christ allowed them to have no fear of death. These men certainly did not go through the
hollow motions of the faith – the faith really stood for something for
them.
May we pray that our outward gestures
and worship of God be a reflection of our faith and a reflection of the way we
live our lives. May we stay away from
hypocrisy and double standards. May our
hearts always reach out to God in sincerity and humbleness.
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