We are not Better than Others

22nd Sunday B
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”(Mk.7: 5).

A mafia mobster died and his brother told the priest, “I will give you $200,000 if you say during your homily that my brother is a saint.” The priest being a pastor of a poor parish was not about to miss the opportunity. After reading the gospel he came down next to the casket and said, “This man, robbed millions, he cheated on his wife, defrauded the government and never paid his taxes…however, compared to his brother he was a saint.”

We live in a society where our importance is judged not according to how good our heart is but on our looks, power, influence, what we have, what we can do and what we can show. Our exterior appearance matters a lot and we become obsessed with outward trappings. We want to feel accepted, important, respected, admired and even envied. Our life has always been a performance geared to impress others. But the sad part about it is unconsciously we compete and try to prove that we are better than others. In this regard we become hypocrite like the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were members of a Jewish sect that ostensibly complied with the requirements of the Law of Moses. They were criticizing Jesus’ disciples because they ate with unclean hands and not followed the tradition of their elders. However, Jesus detested their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy originally was from two Greek words “hupo” and “krinein,” which put together, hupokrisis, means to judge over and above. The Pharisees became hypocrites not because of their showy kind of religiosity, but because they boasted about being better than others. They wanted to be seen as the only ones who deserve to be called righteous and holy.

The hypocrisy of the Pharisees becomes our hypocrisy when we easily judge others who failed to measure up with our standards. When we want to be called saints but put down others as we struggle to acquire heavenly virtues, we become hypocrites like the Pharisees. When we talk badly about others, simply because they are not good as we are, we become hypocrite like the Pharisees. Let us not forget that for Jesus what is important is not the exterior appearance but the purity of heart. It is not because we always go to mass, we confess our sins, help the needy, give to charity and pray our novenas that we can already boast that we are better than others. Let us be honest. We too have our own weaknesses and failures. We too have our own mistakes and shortcomings. However, these become blessings to us when they make us humble as St. Paul said, “Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated” (2 Cor.12:7).

Understanding our own struggles could help us understand that others have their own struggles also. Let us not hide our frailty behind the show of piety. Let us not cover our weaknesses by talking about the weaknesses of others. Who are we to judge? We are not better than others.