THE DANGER OF PRETENCE. (Homily for Tuesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time, Year B.)

Bible Study:  2 Maccabees 6, 18 to 31. And Luke 19, 1 to 10.

One of the greatest deceptive strategies of the devil is the use of PRETENCE. What is pretence? It is living a fake life, it is appearing to be holy and sinless while in the heart, it is a different ball game altogether. Pretence is making others believe something that is not true, it is lying to people not just with words but with one’s very life. You may succeed in lying to every single person on earth but a lie can never become true no matter the number of people who have come to believe it.

As Christians, we all have been called to carry the cross which is often very heavy, very tiresome and very difficult, the cross involves personal sacrifice, pain, tears and sweat and there are moments we actually feel like throwing it off. In moments like that, Satan comes in to suggest to us to apply PRETENCE. Pretence is like replacing the heavy wooden cross for a piece of brown paper.

It is very easy to fall into the temptation of pretence and given that the number of persons who live such a fake life tends to outweigh the genuine, it is also very easy to assume that pretence is the way!

In our first reading this morning, we are presented with the story of Eleazer, a Jewish religious leader who was held in high esteem by the people. Given his position as a man who could influence the people, Eleazer was captured in the course of the persecution begun under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. He was asked to either eat meat sacrificed to idols publicly or face the death sentence. It was at this point that Satan suggested PRETENCE. The men told him, you see, you don’t have to eat the actual meat dedicated to the gods, just get your own meat from your house and come and eat it in our presence, that is, just act drama, pretend as if you are eating and when people ask why you did that, just tell them that it was your own meat you were eating not that provided by us, in fact, you don’t even have to eat anything, just pretend to be chewing your mouth and throw it off, then we will free you, you will not die.

Eleazer reasoned it out. If I pretend to be eating this meat, my life would be spared but what becomes of the faith of the millions of young people who would think I now approve of idolatry? If I pretend, I will be become friends with my persecutors but what becomes of my conscience knowing that I have led many astray? So he decided, “I will rather die for the truth than sell my soul in exchange for a piece of meat.”

When we Christians who claim to be serving God give in to pretence, that is exactly what happens. We push the cross aside and give in to sin in the name of prolonging our life. We may live very long but in the long run, we would still have to face judgement wherein we shall account not just for ourselves but for the millions of others who were led astray by discovering we are simply pretenders.

Be real. Be authentic. Never try to deceive anyone into giving a false impression of yourself. Be like Zacchaeus in our Gospel passage who was not afraid to own up to his past life of sinfulness and extortion. When people grumbled because Jesus said he was going to eat in his house, Zacchaeus stood up and said: “Behold half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone is shall repay four times over.”

It is better to repent and be saved than to continue to live in sin by covering it up! It is better to repent and be saved than to continue to live in sin by covering it up!! It is better to repent and be saved than to continue to live in sin by covering it up!!!

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, make me a real person and a true Christian. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.