Homily Notes, 06-27-21 - Errors of the Pharisees

 06-27-21

5th Sunday After Pentecost

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

At a very young age the first thing we learn from the catechism, the first two questions are: Who made you? God made me. Why did God make you? To know him, to love him, and to serve him in this life, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. This is the most basic of all knowledge. We are made for God. We were made to return to God. All men belong to God; all men are for God. Therefore, all men must be religious.  No matter how much the world drifts away from God, they cannot deny the basic truth that we were all made by and made for God.

All men are religious. How do we practice our religion? There is a true religious spirit and a false religious spirit. False religion is hypocrisy, where religion is on our lips but not in our hearts. True religion, in contrast, is based on charity. In the Gospel, Our Lord makes a contrast between the false religious spirit and the true religious spirit of the children of God. You will not save your soul if you are no better than the false hypocritical Pharisees. We can learn lessons from the example of this false spirit.

What is a Pharisee? The word Pharisee means “separate” —- they are separatists. Pharisees are separate from the majority of men. They were great doctors of the law. They knew every detail of every precept, every little stipulation of the Mosaic law. And yet this knowledge did them no good. Our Lord said they were hypocrites. They put on an appearance of religion and yet their hearts were far from God. They lacked charity. They lacked love of God and love of neighbor.

St. Thomas says there are 5 errors of the Pharisees:

1. Presumption. Because they knew the law so well, they thought they were better than others and were already saved. They despised all others because they believed they were superior. They thought their own greatness and intelligence would save them. A child of God must be humble in the service of God and must realize who they are in relation to God: creatures created by God. Any good we possess and obtain is from God and only by the grace of God can we do any good and be saved. We must be humble and recognize that we are nothing but sinners in need of mercy. We must feel that it is an honor and privilege to serve God and to be members of the mystical body of Christ. And because of that, we will despise no one, we will not look down on anyone, and we will forgive others because God forgives us. A child of God will not presume anything.
2. Ostentation - they loved to stand out, to take the first place, to be hailed. They wanted attention and to be famous. The Pharisee prays: “thank God I’m not like the rest of men! Thank God I’m better than others!” They make a big show and like to stand out. The child of God in contrast will be modest - melt in the background, be content, not want to make a name for oneself, not always get his own way; will simply pray for mercy. True children of God have a spirit of modesty, of service to God. We must conform ourselves to our duty according to our state in life. We must not want to be the center of attention.
3. Exterior purifications lacked true interior purity of heart. Everything was exterior and therefore everything was superficial. They wanted to show up and were only concerned with what other people saw and thought about them. Their actions were excessive and ridiculous. Jesus would call them out on their hypocritical behavior. They were worried about trivial details of the law while having no purity of heart. In contrast, the child of God will have a true interior life. We will love to spend time in prayer, uniting ourselves to God. Our exterior actions will come from interior prayer. Our interior life is our union with God and it will infuse every exterior action. No matter how busy we are, we do it all in the presence and spirit of God, and so every action is a prayer.
4. Fasting and penance were done without any mercy toward others. They only fasted and did penance to puff themselves up. “As long we fast and do penance, then we’re fine. I’m righteous. It doesn’t matter if I hate my neighbor, because I fast and do penance.” In contrast, the child of God will fast, pray, and do penance so they can love God more, so they can detach themselves from things and attach to God. If our penance and fasting becomes an obstacle — like causing us to focus too much on ourselves through pride and vanity — then we have to stop them. When the church calls us to fast, we do. When the church calls us to feast, we do. Because it’s not about us. It’s about drawing closer to God.
5. Minor precepts took importance over the bigger picture. The Pharisees missed the fact that God was calling them to a life of union with Him because they were obsessed with the details. They forgot that they were made for God. The child of God will see the big picture: love of God. Love God with your whole mind, heart, and soul. We belong to God and are meant to return to him. We are destined for heaven — the details of this life are meant to lead us to heaven. If the details of life are distracting us from our goal — from heaven and God — then we have to set them aside. Charity is so important that it must rule everything we do.

The religion of Christ is in direct contradiction with the Pharisees. Charity must always take precedence in the spirit of religion. 

Do I pardon injuries? Am I willing to forgive? Do I show mercy? Do I seek the good of others? Do I put others needs before my own? Am I at peace with my neighbor? Do I find joy and peace in my religion and in serving God? 

That is the law of charity: to live a life of sacrifice and to show mercy. Love others as Christ loves you. Be another Christ on earth.

Be modest. Be humble. Have a zeal for good; that is, charity. This is the essence of our religion. Without charity, we cannot enter heaven. How much did you love God? How much did you love others? 

If we love one another, we will fulfill the whole law.