Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23: 23-36)
If I were to die later on this morning, it would not surprise me one bit to find myself at my particular judgment and hear similar words. 'Woe to you, Charles, you hypocrite. You are careful to observe rubrics and prepare marriage and baptism paperwork but have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment, mercy, and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others...you cleanse the vessels in the sacristy and neatly set ribbons in breviaries but inside you are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind friar, cleanse and set up the inside first, so that the outside also may be clean.'
Maybe the problem isn't that I'm scared, but that I'm not scared enough. To achieve a salutary fear should be the goal, so that the Lord's words would literally scare the hell out of me.
2 comments:
But don't forget the loving words that Paul spoke to the Thessalonians in this mornings readings also. Or the beautiful words of psalm 139... Our God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows the word before we speak it...
The tender mercy of our God will be at the judgement seat too...
Br Charles I absolutely understand your sentiment. We are all (well, most of us unless we are narcissists) our own worst critics. And without giving you a big head or nudging you towards the sin of pride, without having met you and just from what I've read, you are doing an excellent job here. God willing you will continue on this path.
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