IN AND OUT

 

IN AND OUT

The Pharisee was, no doubt, a gracious host. Dinner invitations would probably be few and far between, and the daily cares of his public ministry, doing wonders wherever he went, probably got the bulk of his waking and working hours. But graciousness concealed more than just a fine, welcoming attitude of hospitality. The Pharisee was after the fineries of his guest’s behavior. Surely, the devil was in the details, and his eagle-eyed attention to such details brought stunned astonishment. Quelle horreur! “He did not wash himself before the meal!”

Graciousness turned into grilling pettiness, for the law prescribed no less than a carefully executed external ritual of cleansing. And that was when the gracious host transformed into a shocked restaurateur who was out not to serve and share a meal, but to set an intricate trap to catch someone who was apparently ready to break what the law of Moses prescribed.

The Lord, though, was not one who would be carried away by raised eyebrows and condemning haughty looks. It was a privileged teaching moment. Setting fineries aside, the Lord told His gracious but shocked host like it is. It was preaching out of season. He was in hostile territory, right in the home of His host.

It makes me wonder how I would react. Many times, the temptation is to look the other way instead of being politically incorrect. One would probably be cautious not to cross the path of one who gives generously and fends for our material concerns. The temptation is real, and to deny that many of us fall into it is the height of dishonesty.

The Lord dished it both in and out, so to speak. He minced no words. He talked about clean “outsides” and “insides,” “full of greed and wickedness.” And we all know what that disconnect between the inner and outer sides of our personhood means: hypocrisy. No need to pick on the Pharisee. But we would do well to look at ourselves in and out. And in all honesty, the Lord’s words hit us hard, too. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

How can you make your “insides” as clean as your “outside?”

Dearest God, thank You for being patient with me. I still have a long way to go in living a life of integrity. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________