Our Venerable Fathers Isaac (406-25), Dalmatus and Faustus
2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3; Matthew 23:23-28
Dormition Fast.
Read Matthew 23:23-28
“So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
As Jesus speaks a series of heavy “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees, it is helpful for us to introspect and make sure we are not guilty of their same faults. Are we full of hypocrisy and lawlessness too?
We humans tend to worry about how others perceive us. We want to look strong, capable, attractive, smart, and righteous. However, oftentimes we focus on presenting ourselves in certain ways at the expense of actually taking care of our interior lives. We cannot make excuses for our sins and bad habits but rather need to take responsibility. Just as we so readily spend time and money for the sake of our outward appearance, we ought to be even more concerned about our interior life. We cannot be hypocrites but need to be brutally honest with ourselves in order to be authentic.
Christ also condemned the scribes and Pharisees for their interior “lawlessness.” It is important to live a disciplined life to maintain control over ourselves. If we live our lives pursuing whatever gives us immediate pleasure, we easily lose ourselves to our passions. We need to practice self-control through self-denial so as to maintain control over our desires and not be controlled by our impulses.
Today, let us reflect on how we can avoid hypocrisy by paying attention to our internal life and not only how we present ourselves to others. Let us consider in which areas of our lives we feel out of control and turn to Christ to ask for the strength to be disciplined in order to foster a healthy and honest interior life.