Homily for June 15, 2018).
“For I tell you unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20.
Imagine being in the shoes of the scribes, the Pharisees and Sadducees at the time of Jesus. Imagine being painted black by your own student whom you taught scriptures while growing up; the little boy that stayed behind in the temple at age twelve while his parents were looking for him. Picture yourself standing before a massive crowd of people who hold you in very high esteem only for this boy to call you a white-washed tomb.
Dear friends, the point here is that NO ONE LIKES TO BE TOLD HIS OR HER MOUTH IS SMELLING, no one likes to be told he or she is not as righteous, holy and perfect as he or she thinks. If asked to rate ourselves, we are most likely to score ourselves very high regardless of how much our conscience bites us.
Deep down within us, we all know what is right and wrong but as humans, we have somehow found a way to accommodate certain bad things while projecting as much as possible the good deeds to the public. Like a school teacher who knows her bright kids and her dull kids, we have all learnt how to challenge the bright kids and just let the dull ones be. We know our weak points, our hidden sins but rather than make efforts to eliminate them, we have learnt to praise, exult and show off our good sides.
This is what is called “Normal Righteousness.” It is the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, it is a righteousness that is seen but never grows. It is the everyday righteousness, it is the comfortable form of being a Christian. The hallmark of this normal righteousness is to obey the eleventh commandment; NEVER GET CAUGHT. I call it normal because it is the most popular form of righteousness you can ever find. It is popular because it is easy. It is the righteousness that allows sin to become habitual in the name of: “after all, I can always go for confession.” In Pidgin English, you hear the phrase: “abeg e, no be me kill Jesus booooh.”
The normal righteousness is that which allows for popular scenarios such as two devout Christians fighting right in front of the church compound just after Sunday Mass. The normal righteousness is one that can afford a so-called Christian to nurse anger in his stomach for very many years looking for a chance to strike back one day. It is the righteousness that would give room for a Christian to be laughing and playing with a person openly only to turn around and call that person all kinds of names behind their back. This normal righteousness strongly believes that the definition of justice is EYE FOR AN EYE and TOOTH FOR TOOTH. It cannot forgive!
I am a Christian, I am even a priest but each time I search deep in my heart and realize there are still some persons I am yet to forgive, I just know I am not there yet. I am yet to truly answer God’s call to pick up my cross and follow HIM. I am still on the same level as the scribes and Pharisees. I am just a whitewashed tomb. I may be preaching heart-touching homilies but with these black spots in my heart, I must realize that heaven is not meant for me. It is either I listen to Jesus now or I find a way to kill Jesus as my ancestors did two thousand years ago.
Dear friends, Jesus is calling us to another level; the abnormal level; the narrow path; the road less travelled. We have to transgress the norm. To even be a Christian at all is to be a radical Christian because an average Christian is just as good as a non-Christian. Abnormal righteousness is one that looks inwards, one that does not accommodate even a single evil, one that actually FORGIVES. When we step into this level, we then understand the secret behind the success of a man like Elijah whose exploits are contained in our first reading. It is not easy, yes, but it is possible.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to live out a higher level of righteousness. Amen.
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 10th Week of Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 1 Kings 18:20-39, Psalm 16:1-11, Matthew 5:17-19).*
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