When I write a Daily Reflection, I go to the core question - how do these Daily Readings apply to me? One way to answer that is to picture myself in the historical scene with Christ where this Gospel teaching is taking place - or, to fast forward myself 2000 years to 2006 and to visualize what this teaching means for me (by parallel and metaphor) in this time, geographic, and cultural space.

In my younger years, when life was more 'black and white' with less nuances of gray, it would be easy to quickly read today's Gospel Reading and say - "Nope! I'm not a scribe, nor a Pharisee; I am not evil-doing and I'm not a hypocrite. This Gospel Reading may apply to others - but, not to me."

But, living and aging provides wonderful gifts for us. We are able to see with more vision and knowledge. We can shed masks. So, I have to ask these questions - Are my behaviors like the scribes and Pharisees? Am I a 21st century Pharisee? Do I live certain aspects of my life as a hypocrite? What would these behaviors be in 2006? It is helpful to me to re-read the entire Chapter 23 of Matthew to put today's verses in perspective. Through-out this Chapter, Christ is giving several examples of hypocritical behaviors of the scribes and Pharisees.

Do I practice hypocrisy? How do I change those behaviors?