SAINT BERNARD, ABBOT AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (MEMORIAL)

Do not follow their example. 

It never failed. Whether Jesus was preaching to a crowd, healing on a Sabbath, or eating with his disciples, there were Pharisees looking to trap and discredit him. Why were they so harsh? And why did Jesus criticize them so severely?

A clue can be found in the title “Pharisee,” which in Hebrew means “separated.” To maintain their purity, Pharisees kept apart from people they considered to be sinners. So when Jesus embraced tax collectors and prostitutes, some of these “separated ones” were shocked and scandalized. In response, Jesus called these men “hypocrites” because they failed to recognize that they too were sinners in need of God’s mercy (Matthew 23:13).

Not all the Pharisees rejected Jesus, however. Some, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, honored him and welcomed his call to repentance (John 7:50; 19:38). Their openness to Jesus also enabled them to embrace as their brothers and sisters the people they had once avoided.

As followers of Jesus, we belong to a Church made up not of proud elites but of forgiven and humble children. But if we are not vigilant, we can find ourselves adopting the same separatist mindset as the Pharisees whom Jesus criticized.

For example, we may think that we are not as sinful as someone else whose sins are more public or “scandalous.” That can cause us to keep our distance from them and to think that we are holier than they are. On the other hand, if our sins are more obvious, we might think that we aren’t worthy to be part of the body of Christ. Both attitudes are harmful since they both can lead us to separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The truth is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But Jesus continues to forgive us and draw us together as one body in him. May we always be amazed and grateful for what he has done to heal us and make us whole!

“Jesus thank you for your never-ending mercy toward me.”

Ezekiel 43:1-7
Psalm 85:9-14
Matthew 23:1-12