Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
Today’s Psalmist describes how great it is to spend time in the Temple, praising and singing to God. Almost a thousand years later in today’s gospel reading, Jesus criticizes what the practice of faith has become for many: a set of actions without meaning. We in the Church are also at risk for the same sin. We have a rich tradition with some required practices and many available devotionals, prayers, and blessings of all kinds. They were designed by the Holy Spirit, Saints, and our spiritual leaders to incarnate what we believe: God is loving, just, and merciful. Jesus wants us to be transformed by the Paschal Mystery, to be dead to sin and alive in the good works of Christ. Unfortunately, it’s easy to practice without true focus on a holy life. We can come to Mass every week and miss the grace the Spirit offers through that Holy Sacrifice. We can write a small check to a charity while spending thousands on luxuries for ourselves. We can pray a rote thanksgiving prayer at mealtime and forget that we receive all good things not through our strength, but through God’s generosity.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. We can participate in the Mass and experience a moment of intimacy with Jesus (even if it is between all those distractions inside our minds and hearts and around us from our kids and neighbors sitting nearby). We can give in love (not guilt!) all that we are truly able to the people that need it most, through our time, energy, works, or money. We can accept good things from God with humility and gratitude, which brings true happiness (instead of the ego that comes with self-congratulation).
How to you live your Catholic identity? What daily or weekly actions are particularly ‘Catholic?’ What sort of fruit do these practices produce? Take a moment to consider these questions… Maybe it’s time to rededicate to the Lord those ways you pray, the good works you do, or the schedule you keep.
Finally, let’s remember that this is a temptation not just for individuals but also for leaders. Jesus was criticizing those leaders, not just the individuals who follow them. We need to be discerning about the practices we discover- and make sure we’re not simply ‘buying a clean conscience’ with a trivial good work. For the Pharisees, acting exactly as the law prescribed bought them a clean conscience; Jesus calls them out on their shallow behavior. Let’s not get caught up in the same trap. Loving God, give us a Spirit of Love to motivate our actions, and a Spirit of discernment to know how we can best be fruitful followers of your Son. Amen.
-Chris Nieport