“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”
Matthew 5 (NABRE)
It sounds so simple, but when we try to live it, we feel its profundity.
Jesus starts his elaboration on ancient Jewish commandments by setting a rubric for righteousness for his followers. He tells us that we must strive to be better than the scribes and Pharisees, the main antagonists that Jesus encounters during His public ministry. Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus teaches us not to be entirely like them (i.e. Luke 12:1). Central to His criticism of them is their hypocrisy, a tendency to say one thing and then do another, or to lead a double life. Elsewhere in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus draws our attention away from myopic focus on external forms of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and towards the cultivation of the proper internal dispositions when doing so.
That said, there are both secret and public elements to faithfully living the Catholic life. In secret, we pray to God and expose to His care and light our wounds, anxieties, and joys; in public, we go Mass and Adoration and kneel and pray with everyone else. There is an individual commitment to follow Jesus wherever He goes and a communal trek along the Church’s pilgrimage route to Heaven. We cannot “act” holy solely in the public aspects of our Catholic observance. It is easy to kneel and look like we are “praying hard” during Mass or having a profound emotional experience during Adoration. We do this when we are seeking attention from others and a dose of misplaced affirmation. This won’t do it.
Our relationship with Jesus must plunge beneath the surface of the show we like to put on when we are in the company of other members of the faithful. This life is too burdensome without the grace of knowing Jesus’ mercy and tenderness. We are so inclined to wound ourselves in sin and be driven about by the chaotic winds of our fallen humanity, and these are the ingredients with which misery is made. A life of simply being with Jesus and allowing Him to work His mercy within us and guide us on a stable path is what makes for true happiness and entry into Heaven.
Perhaps we can all remember the deeper reality to which that all the devotions we do as Catholics point to.
Because it points to what we need the most.
Thank you for reading. Peace.
Eat the Scroll 