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I love today’s Gospel. I love the hypocrisy sermons, I think because hypocrisy is such a big pet peeve of mine. Often when I hear a news story about liars and cheaters (and unfortunately there are a lot of them around) I’m appalled at the evil and the hypocrisy in the world. As I’m writing this, today on the news is a story about a congressman, a man who authored bills for stricter penalties for pedophiles and child predators, who, it turns out, is suspected of being a child predator himself. And I think, how can people do this? And how do people get away with this? But of course, they don’t get away with this. Even if they do get away with it here on earth, either not getting caught or not getting penalized, there’s still the next world. Even if they’re not found out or dealt with here, nothing gets past God. “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” People now, and then, had their dirty little secrets. Too often people are more concerned with appearances than with what is right or just. But as Jesus says, we should be less concerned with our earthly situation (or with those who can only kill the body) and more concerned with our after-earthly situation (or with the one who has the power to cast into Gehenna). In a perfect world, we would all be safe from child molesters and murderers and thieves, and we are told that God is looking down on us, has counted all our hairs (and I personally have unusually thick hair). God keeps his eye on the sparrow and we are certainly worth more than a sparrow. But still there is crime and deception and hypocrisy. Why isn’t God watching? Why doesn’t he do something? But perfection is not for this world. The God who knows each hair on my head also knows exactly what those criminals and hypocrites are doing (even if the hypocrites manage to cover it up pretty well for outward appearances). Whatever happens here does not escape the eye of God, and if not now, eventually, everyone will receive a just reward. |