In today's first reading,Galatians 2: 1-2, 7-14, Paul goes up to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus. He shared the Gospel that he preached to the Gentiles with Cephas, James and John, whom Paul considered pillars of the faith. Cephas, James and John recognized that Paul was entrusted with the same Gospel to preach to Gentiles, the uncircumcised, that they were preaching to the circumcised. They also recognized the grace bestowed upon Paul. The Holy Spirit was working in each of these individuals to spread the Good News of Jesus in different parts of the world and to different people of the world in which they lived.
God does the same gifting today, the same work in each of us, using us to build the Kingdom and spread the Good News of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and Pentecost! Just as Paul and his co-workers,both men and women, by the way, needed one another and so, too did Cephas, James and John need Paul. It was during this visit, that Paul challenged Peter's hypocrisy. It is through and with each other that we grow in honest living and preaching of the Gospel, no less than in the days of old when the Church was in its infancy, so to speak!
May I have the courage to name hypocrisy when I see it and to be called when I am being hypocritical.
Showing posts with label Hypocrisy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hypocrisy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Facing Truth
In today's Gospel, "some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech!" Hoping to corner Him, they ask Him whether it is lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not. "Knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them: 'Bring me a denarius to look at....Whose image and inscription is this?...Caesar's. So...[r]epay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.'"
Just as Jesus knew their intentions, so, too does He know yours and mine. Hypocrisy, insincerity, a lack of genuineness and integrity do not escape Jesus! "Why," Jesus asks his interrogators, "are you testing me?" Do you and I realize when we are testing Jesus? And when we are being testy and insincere in our relationships with others and with therefore with God, Jesus does not condemn us any more than He condemned the Pharisees or the Herodians, in this instance. He gives them, and us, an opportunity to face truth. He does not leave them, or us, off the cuff, so to speak, but puts forth a challenge! In what ways has Jesus challenged you/me today, this past week, this past month? In what ways has Jesus shown us His patience so as to bring us to repentance, to salvation?
Lord, open my eyes to my hypocrisy! Show me the truth that is hidden from me when I set out to ensnare another person?
Just as Jesus knew their intentions, so, too does He know yours and mine. Hypocrisy, insincerity, a lack of genuineness and integrity do not escape Jesus! "Why," Jesus asks his interrogators, "are you testing me?" Do you and I realize when we are testing Jesus? And when we are being testy and insincere in our relationships with others and with therefore with God, Jesus does not condemn us any more than He condemned the Pharisees or the Herodians, in this instance. He gives them, and us, an opportunity to face truth. He does not leave them, or us, off the cuff, so to speak, but puts forth a challenge! In what ways has Jesus challenged you/me today, this past week, this past month? In what ways has Jesus shown us His patience so as to bring us to repentance, to salvation?
Lord, open my eyes to my hypocrisy! Show me the truth that is hidden from me when I set out to ensnare another person?
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
God Reads Our Hearts; Do We?
In today's Gospel, Mark 12:; 13-17, the Pharisees and Herodians set out to trap Jesus. They begin with flattery: "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with another's opinion." They then ask Him: "Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?" Jesus know that they are trying to trick Him. He sees right through their hypocrisy, so He asks them: "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at." They do so and Jesus asks them: 'Whose image and inscription is them?'...'Caesar's'. 'Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.'"
We need not be surprised that we encounter hypocrisy and that on some days we ourselves are hypocritical! Human nature is a false human nature. No one is perfect except God alone. If we encounter a person being hypocritical, we need to be patient and wise. If we ourselves become hypocritical, we, too, need to be patient with ourselves, repent of our wrongdoing and be gentle with our weaknesses. We need to come to the Lord and honestly admit our need for help to honest and upright.
We need to remember that we have been created in the image of God. We belong to God. God loves us as a parent loves his/her children. God, like a wise parent, knows when we are being dishonest, we we are trying to trick another person. He does not condemn us. He comes to save us from being a plaything of the Father of Lies.
We need not be surprised that we encounter hypocrisy and that on some days we ourselves are hypocritical! Human nature is a false human nature. No one is perfect except God alone. If we encounter a person being hypocritical, we need to be patient and wise. If we ourselves become hypocritical, we, too, need to be patient with ourselves, repent of our wrongdoing and be gentle with our weaknesses. We need to come to the Lord and honestly admit our need for help to honest and upright.
We need to remember that we have been created in the image of God. We belong to God. God loves us as a parent loves his/her children. God, like a wise parent, knows when we are being dishonest, we we are trying to trick another person. He does not condemn us. He comes to save us from being a plaything of the Father of Lies.
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