Religion as a Hiding Place

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is a story about a man who spent hours every week polishing the glass windows of his house. He cleaned them until they shone. From the outside, the house looked beautiful. But inside, the rooms were full of rubbish, dust, and things he refused to deal with. One day a friend finally said to him, “Why do you spend so much time cleaning what people can see, but ignore what you actually have to live in?” That is almost exactly what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel. The Pharisees are careful about the outside. They tithe even the smallest herbs. They know the rules. They look religious. But Jesus says, “You neglect justice and the love of God.” The theme today is simple: God is not impressed by a polished outside if the heart remains untouched.

That can happen to us more easily than we think. We can go to Mass, say our prayers, know the right responses, wear a cross, speak about faith, and still carry pride, bitterness, jealousy, or a lack of charity. The problem begins when religion becomes a hiding place. We can sometimes use the things of God to avoid actually allowing God to change us.

Jesus also says, “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honour.” That line should make us uncomfortable, because there is something in all of us that wants to be noticed. We want people to think we are good, holy, generous, intelligent, faithful. And sometimes we begin doing good things not simply because they are good, but because we want to be seen doing them. The question, then, is not just, “Am I doing the right thing?” but, “Why am I doing it?” Would I still pray if nobody knew? Would I still serve if nobody thanked me?

Then Jesus turns to the scholars of the law and says, “You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.” That is another danger of religion without love: it becomes heavy. We become very good at telling other people what they should do while forgetting how patient God has been with us. True holiness does not make us harsher; it should make us more merciful. The closer we come to Jesus, the more we should become people who help carry burdens, not add to them.

So maybe the invitation today is not simply to ask, “Am I religious?” The deeper question is: Is my religion making me more like Christ? Is prayer making me more patient? Is the Eucharist making me more generous? Is confession making me more merciful toward the weakness of others? God does not want a perfect-looking life with an untouched heart. He wants the whole house. He wants the hidden rooms, the places we avoid, the motives we do not like to admit. And that is actually good news, because Jesus does not expose these things to shame us. He exposes them so that He can heal them.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, do not let my faith remain only on the outside. Show me the places in my heart that I keep hidden from You. Purify my motives, soften my judgments, and teach me to love justice, mercy, and You above all things. Make my faith not something I simply display, but something that truly changes the way I live and love. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko