Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Tim 4: 12-16; Luke 7: 36-50
Dc. Larry Brockman
Things are not always what they appear. And so, we should be very careful before we make judgments based on appearance. Both of our readings make this point.
In the first reading, Timothy, who is a young disciple of St. Paul, writes this letter because some of the folks he evangelized have been influenced by older and self-proclaimed “wiser” teachers. But these older teachers were Judaizers, meaning they were trying to convince the Gentiles that Christians must also follow all of the Mosaic dietary laws. The problem with that, as St. Paul taught and passed on to the younger Timothy, was that it diluted the meaning of Christianity, a movement of the heart towards God. The Judaizers preached mandatory compliance with the burdensome requirements of the traditional Mosaic Law above everything, thereby placing the emphasis on the completely wrong place, simply behaving so that you did not cross the line rather than moving your heart towards God. These Judaizers tried to undermine Timothy by harping on his youth. But things were not at all what they seemed. Timothy, not the Judaizers, had it right.
There is a similar message in the Gospel. The Pharisees, Simon in today’s Gospel story included, held themselves above the rest of mankind because they were experts in keeping the letter of the Mosaic Law. But they didn’t understand what real conversion was. They didn’t recognize that real conversion was not the ever increasing ability to conform in external behavior; but rather converting in internal attitude, a conversion of the heart. And that conversion of the heart resulted in conformance with the spirit of the teachings of Jesus. The sinful woman repented of her sinfulness by faith in what she heard Jesus preach. She was so uplifted by that feeling in her heart that she was brimming full of love. And as a consequence of her conversion of the heart, her belief in Jesus, and her resolve to sin no more, she was moved to show that love in the public display we hear about today. This means she had already been forgiven by God before she performed this act of love and Faith! When we look at it this way, it is easier to see how her Faith saved her. So again, things were not what they seemed- the sinful woman had it right and the experts, the Pharisees, had it wrong.
This lesson is something all of us need to learn in today’s world because all of us are prone to be deceived by appearances. Just what is it that we admire, what is it that we copy, and what is it we emulate? Is it football, basketball and baseball athletes, “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Got Talent” entrants, celebrities and movie stars, and the Donald Trumps and Bill Gateses of the world? Or is it the Mother Theresas, Padre Pios, and John Paul IIs?
We can ask a similar question a little closer to home. Where is it that appearances may be deceiving us about the role models we should be following in our lives? Chances are person may not display all of the glitter and charism of the popular people in our lives, but they may have it right, where the people we idolize don’t. It may be an Aunt or a Grandparent or a Parent or a friend’s relative.
And so, I challenge all of you this morning to think about it. Who is it that you know that you want to be like? Don’t let appearances deceive you, but rather, look for someone who follows Jesus in their heart.
