We begin the 3rd week of our Lenten journey. The 1st week emphasized the need to set aside time each day to listen to God in silence. The 2nd week called us to examine how we live. Does the way we daily live reflect the values and the way of Jesus, or the values and way of our world? This week we are asked to look at the intent behind the pietistic things we do in our lives?
It was a common belief at the time of Jesus, that if a bad thing happened to someone resulting in death, God was punishing them because of some sin they committed. One of the examples given is the tragedy of a building, the tower of Siloam, collapsing and killing many people. Similarly, it was a common belief that people born with a disability, such as blindness or deafness, were being punished by God for some sin committed by an ancestor. The resulting behavior of self-righteous toward those afflicted was to look at the afflicted with contempt, and to inflate their own sense of self-righteousness. In the Gospel, Jesus turns and tells the self-righteous that they are hypocrites, for they are no more or less sinful than those who are afflicted by tragedy.
For us today, we need to examine the intent behind the pietistic things we do. For example (especially for those of us who are Roman Catholic) is it better or more “holy” to receive Holy Communion on the tongue as opposed to receiving Holy Communion in the hand? No! It matters not to Jesus or the Church how we receive Holy Communion. What is important is that we receive Holy Communion. If our intent of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue is to show others that we are more pious than those who receive in the hand, then our intent in receiving Holy Communion is flawed. For it is focused more on inflating our own self-piety, than on receiving the Lord of Life. In other words, we are placing ourselves first and God second.
This week, a good scripture passage upon which to examine the intent behind why we do the religious things we do is Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Publican). In our prayer and in our religious practices, who do we emulate? The Pharisee or the Tax Collector?
