It is easy for us to live the letter of the law and forget the Spirit behind the law, to live out only the minimum requirements. We seem to like the special distinctions, honors, and titles of the law to mark off differences. This all leads us to a static lifestyle where nothing changes. Put simply we set up a lifestyle based on hypocrisy. We say and preach one thing, but we actually live in a different way. Hypocrisy seems to be one attitude that really upset Jesus.
In today’s first reading, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah set up an urban lifestyle based on ignoring the spirit of God’s will. Rather than protect and help the foreigners, immigrants, and defenseless in their midst, they used abuse and torture as a form of relating to them. The religious leaders in the time of Jesus set themselves up as a class apart with special privileges. They saw themselves as especially holy – and as a consequence, everyone else was a sinner. They set up so many religious rules that no one could actually live, in communion with God.
Today Jesus calls all of us on the way of the cross to Easter, to a new authentic or unified form of life. Walking the way of the cross in this Lenten season calls us all to a deeper humility and service.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
A haughty, moralistic hypocrisy does nothing for those around us. The people of our time need to see humble authentic service in each of our lives and the life of our local community of faith.
Image: https://ifiwalkedwithjesus.com/matthew-2313-36-woe-to-the-pharisees/.