(Audio)
Are we Pharisees? Do we say all the right things without having been first changed ourselves?
For they preach but they do not practice.
Do we speak of the seeking God above all, say that he alone can satisfy, all the while trying to fill the God-shaped hole in our own hearts with the things of this world? Of course we do! It does not mean that we should be silent about the truth we know. That truth can be helpful no matter who tells it.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
We are called to see ourselves more clearly. We are called to recognize all of the ways in which we still so desperately need the things we are called to teach others. We cannot be Rabbi, or Master, or Father in the deepest sense, because only Jesus Christ can fulfill these rolls perfectly. But we can humbly point toward the one Father, and the one Master and teacher. We can recognize that we are meant to be brothers and sisters even of those who most openly and wantonly spurn the truth of Jesus Christ or even common decency.
When we see ourselves clearly we are more free to serve others. We do not need to protect some image of ourselves as superior, standing over others. We can be below them and help them from there, just as Jesus did for us. We can wash the feet of others just as he first washed our own feet (see John 13:1-17).
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
We need self-awareness sufficient to catch ourselves when we start using our supposed piety as a bludgeon against others, even from the first stages of that happening in our thoughts. This is exactly the sense that Paul suggests we think "of others as better than yourselves" (see Philippians 2:3). At first it sounds overly self-deprecating and negative. But it is a starting point that cuts off selfish ambition at the roots. It isn't even interested in the self enough to spend time deprecating it.
When we ourselves our humble we can make prayers for mercy that move the heavens. These are the prayers that need to accompany any words we can offer to others. More to it, these are prayers that we ourselves desperately need answered.
Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.
No comments:
Post a Comment