Bible reading: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Psalm 50; Matthew 23:1-12.
In the gospel of today – Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus exhorted the people to respect the scribes and Pharisees because their magisterial authority is divine. However, he dissuaded the people from following their conducts and practice because these are at variance with what they teach. In other words, they teach something and practice something else.
Shall we also stop today to ponder on our conducts? We may want to ask what kind of examples do we give people? What kind of witness do we bear among people? Do our lives contradict our identity and the message of the gospel we purport to represent?
The life of every Christian is meant to be an example, a light, and a point of reference, a model, and a standard for others. Consciously or unconsciously, our words and conducts impact on others- within our family, in our places of work, our centers of learning, in the neighbourhood, in our club, team or association.
I remember on a Sunday evening when I went to visit a family, they insisted that they wanted me to greet and pray for their neighbour, a young couple with a baby, my host told me how pious, nice, respectful and kind they are. The lives of that young couple made so much impression on these our parishioners who live beside them.
This is what is called an exemplary life. That is how the life of every Christian should be. This is where many Christians fail, a life that does not exude good examples cannot inspire, and a life that cannot inspire others is a travesty of the Christian life. We cannot inspire others if we are unkind, judgemental, intolerant, hateful, insensitive, dishonest, quarrelsome and uncaring.
This is why in the first reading – Isaiah 1:10, the Lord says we should go and wash ourselves of every behaviour that ridicules our faith and identity. God says cease to do evil, learn to do good, for this is the only way our lives can become good examples to others and appealing to God.
Let us pray that the Lord will help us to show by word and example the beauty of the Christian life and the fascination of the gospel message.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Gukena Okami on March 10, 2020.