This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
Today’s readings seem to address two completely unrelated topics: Freeloading, and Hypocrisy.
St. Paul warns that people who want to freeload off the Christian community simply aren’t welcome. Sounds harsh–but, whereas giving to the needy is eminently Christian, allowing the lazy to take dishonest advantage of one’s kindness clearly is not, if we are to believe St. Paul.
In the today’s gospel, on the other hand, Jesus Christ upbraids the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, condemning their careful curation of outward appearance, even while they are full of evil, indeed, dead, inside. He prophesies that this evil hypocrisy will ultimately result in his own death, which paradoxically completes the story arc of the murder of the prophets throughout history, the same prophets the Pharisees claim to venerate.
Surely, these readings are unrelated. The Pharisees aren’t exactly lazy, per se; if nothing else, they are diligent about looking after their appearances. Whereas those about whom St. Paul warns the Christian community seem less hypocritical and more lackadaisical.
Upon closer look, however, what is it about saintly persons that causes them to be diligent and hard-working? On the other hand, what is it that causes them to be sincere and consistent between their outward appearance and their inward goodness? Is it their working on honesty/humility on the one hand, and diligence on the other, separately?
On the contrary, when a soul is filled with God, truly alive inside, that soul wants what is within them to shine out and be shared to the exterior; when a soul is filled with God, hard work appears less daunting and more desirable because it is a vehicle by which to share their internal joy with others–and the strain involved seems minor compared to the motivation in their hearts.
Now, it is true that some people have a stronger tendency to laziness, and others to vanity, or pride. The sin in one type of person may manifest more strongly in apathy, and in another, in boastfulness or scorn of neighbor. Since sin keeps us far from God, it makes sense in our spiritual lives to work hardest against the sin that afflicts us most.
But in the end, it is evil that is complex; God is simple. The more we fill ourselves with God and prioritize His friendship and will above other goods, the easier it will become to relativize and avoid sins that at first glance may seem insurmountable. In the end, while He requires effort from us, it is His overwhelmingly powerful grace, accessed through prayer and the sacraments, that will overcome all the complex manifestations of our sins–which so often, more than anything else, are but a manifestation of our emptiness of Him, our need for Him.
Today’s psalm tells us:
“Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.”
It is God’s presence and grace that gives us the hope and motivation in “eating the fruit of our handiwork” that we need to motivate us to work hard; it is hope in His favor that will embolden us to leave aside pretense and show ourselves to the world as we truly are.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Dialogue with Jesus about the sins you find most pronounced, most ugly in yourself. Make a resolution with Him to fight against those sins in particular, without delay. But above all, ask Him to enter with His joy into those areas of your life, so that you no longer feel the desperate need for the fake satisfaction that the sin brings, and have the strength and courage to turn wholeheartedly to Him. Tell Him that you trust that His favor and friendship, as it manifests itself more and more fully, will be more than enough blessing and happiness in your life.
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