Hypocrites; once again Jesus decries hypocrites. Man, those hypocrites!  I’m being a bit facetious here but it’s important for us to remember there’s a danger that any one of us can become a hypocrite and not even see it happening. To preach and profess one thing, but live in a completely different way.  As a matter of fact, I find as a Catholic Christian and as a priest, I am constantly falling into the category of hypocrite.  We can all become hypocrites when we fall or turn from the true essence of our faith and live and preach something else.  And if you think you don’t struggle with this, I’d like to meet you, because even in the Gospels the Apostles and disciples are constantly falling into hypocrisy without even knowing it.

Knowing God and why God asks us to honour the Sabbath gives us all a sense of why we should go to Mass on Sundays, why we ought to tithe (give for our community), why it’s important and to reflect upon what we give to it and receive from our faith and the practice of our faith. If we look at those Jesus chastises in today’s Gospel with disdain, we better make sure that we’re living in as upright a manner as we can, and it’s important that we get the message that Jesus is challenging us all to know why we do what we do – for God.  He is not suggesting that honouring the Sabbath, or our holy day is of little or less importance.