The biblical Pharisees have always fascinated me. They’re always trying to trip up Our Lord, and they indubitably end up getting the short end of the stick. These Biblical fall guys provide countless nuggets for our instruction, usually of the “not as I do” variety. St. Mark’s gospel sums up the Pharisees with these words “and there were also many other traditions that they observed…”. For they loved their traditions and they were a people quick to point out any miscues by the faithful. They were robust in upholding the weighty body of rules and regulations that they themselves had carefully and painstakingly aggregated. And so, when the apostles were caught in the dastardly act of shucking corn and munching on kernel, the Pharisees came out swinging, their tassels and phylacteries in an uproar. It’s the Sabbath, don’t they know, and shouldn’t the rabbi be able to make his rabble toe the line?
And it’s quite plain to see that we’re very much like these high principled princes of yore. For aren’t we quick as beavers to chastise, yet slow as molasses when giving the grudging benefit? No word may cross our lips, but in our heart of hearts, we can run the rule against our fellow man and find him or her sorely lacking. We tend to have inflated opinions of our own self worth and tend to pass judgement against all and sundry. How are we different from them? Thankfully for us, the Pharisees riled the good Lord so much that we find ample ammunition that we can turn on ourselves:
This people honors me with their lips
But their hearts are far from me.
In vain do they worship me, teaching
Human precepts as doctrines – Matthew 15:8-9
Ouch!
We need to take this seriously. We can’t go about appointing ourselves as Chief Justice over the Rest of Humanity. And if we heed the warnings and squirm now, it could speed up our sojourn in purgatory, please God!
Jesus says: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. – Mark 2:28
It’s time to put aside the pharisaical way of looking at things. Early Christian writers spoke of the importance of spiritualizing the Sabbath. It’s more than a holiday from our labours and is certainly not a day for being idle. Instead of merely legislating like the Pharisees, we need to reclaim the Sabbath as God intended. We need to enter into His rest. And from it will flow blessings as we’re rejuvenated from the inside out, ready to use our spiritual gifts for His kingdom’s sake. On any given Sunday, if we only allow it, we can be remade into His likeness.
So, how then can we learn to cool our hot headedness, our ready willingness to pass judgement? The wisdom of the teaching Church shows us how. We need to build up the opposite virtue. And, what’s the opposite of Judgement? May I suggest Humility. For God cannot resist the humble, primary examples being Our Lady and His beloved Son. As a wise confessor recently did, so too do I recommend the Litany of Humility. And thanks to the Internet, this is at our fingertips. When faced with the temptation to judge, let’s avail of this beautiful prayer, reminding ourselves that God is God and we’re not. And instead of becoming sticklers for the law, we can strive to become dispensers of His love.
