The Holy Priest-Martyr Pancratius, Bishop of Tauromenia (1st-2nd c.)
Read
1 Corinthians 9:13-18; Matthew 16:1-6
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
When seeking to justify a particular behaviour or action, teenagers will often use the line “but (insert name here) is doing it so why can’t I do it?” Parents then love to answer this with the most outrageous rhetorical question: “Well, if (insert name here) would jump off a bridge, would you do it as well?” It is tempting not only for teenagers to look at the behaviours or actions of others in order to be like them but even we adults tend to do this without thinking about the further consequences of these actions or behaviours.
Christ warns His disciples about the Pharisees and Sadducees and how even though they are prominent members of the community, their actions and behaviours do not set a desirable example to follow. Judging by appearances, all seems to be well but when digging deeper, it becomes evident that the roots are rotten.
When we desire to follow someone’s example, we too must look past the outward appearance and look deeper into the roots. While the outward appearance entices us into following, the roots can reveal to us the harm of blindly following without deeper knowledge of those whom we desire to follow.