Pride and prejudice

If there ever was a clear description of what hypocrisy is, it is the one we find in today's Gospel. The Pharisees of Our Lord's time, not unlike those of our own or of any other time, were the personification of hypocrisy. Jesus does not mince his words when he speaks about them and warns his disciples against the danger of being influenced by them.

Up to that time the Pharisees had by and large been the object of great respect on the part of every good and sincere Jew. They knew the whole law by heart and put it into practice as far as external and minutest prescriptions were concerned.

Today we see Our Lord telling the crowds and his disciples who and what the Pharisees actually were. They were faultless as far as the externals went, but deep down they were far from pleasing to God.

Their meticulous external observance of the law was faultless, but it was only a veneer which was hiding their internal ugliness in the face of God. We remember what Jesus once called them: "whitewashed sepulchres!" Their pride and conceit did nothing but spell prejudice as far as everyone else was concerlled.

Jesus realised that his entire mission on earth would remain seriously compromised unless he should uncover the real spiritual poverty that was hidden beneath all the external observances of the Pharisees. They were only concerned about giving people an "impression" of correctness. Jesus was only interested in "spiritual" correctness, which was the only goodness worthy of the name and alone had real value before God.

"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant, whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." If there is a virtue which can be held as typically Christian, it is humility. The entire work of Christ's redemption is rooted in humility.

Writing to the Christians in Philippi about Our Lord's work of redemption, St Paul says that by becoming man in the mystery of the Incarnation, "Our Lord emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men". And then he adds: "Being found in human form, the Lord humbled himself and became obedient into death, even death on the cross."

All of us know from experience that humility is at times difficult to understand as much as it is difficult to practise. Pride, we often hear it said, is the root of all evil. And we all know how true that is if we look deep enough into our own life.

In spite of the many problems that usually arise from the use of authority, we are instinctively anxious to occupy positions of authority. We always want to be the best and the first in whatever we do. There is indeed nothing wrong in being a "perfectionist" by nature, so long as this attitude is the reflection of a deeper and more spiritual attitude. "Be perfect, as any Father in heaven is perfect!", says the Lord.

The exercise of authority is a necessity. It is the reflection and sharing of God's own authority, which finds its source on love. All authentic authority among men comes from God and is only a reflection and a sharing of God's own authority. Parents, teachers, legitimate rulers: their exercise of authority ultimately reflects the divine authority, so long as it is based on and moulded by love. Its most genuine model is to be found in Christ, who said: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart."