Commentary on the Gospel of
Pharisees did all these very good acts. The problem, says the Evangelist, not what they did, but why they did them – to look righteous before people and it made them hypocrites. It was, for Jesus, an outward expression of empty lives. That vacuum tried to inflate itself with ego, desire for admiration, and praise by people.
The Gospel challenges me to think differently about how I live from day to day, if my words and actions look like that of Pharisees. We need the inner strength to correspond the life we live with our faith and words.
The life of St. Augustine, whom we recall today, matched the image presented in the Gospel – beautiful white washed tomb that has undesirable things inside. We can be inspired by the inner transformation he went through to match his faith and life.
