Matthew 23:23-26

       

23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without  neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

       Once again in todays scripture reading Jesus is rebuking the temple elite for their hypocrisy and I love it because I immediately see the correlation to what is going on today in our own churches.

       I'm not sure how much I would love it though if someone were to point the hypocrisies in my own life. But isn't that also what Jesus is saying to me in this reading. Isn't it a bit hypocritical for me to point out what's wrong with the church, the world, politics and all the while I fail to address what is wrong with me? 

        Part of the reason I write this blog is to share my own thoughts and hopefully give strength to others or give thoughts to others. I am not exempt from introspection or learning. Truly, the only one who can point out hypocrisy without fear of looking at oneself was our Lord. None of us is in that category.

       So today I have to ask you and me, what are own blindspots? What can we do to see better? I think most of us have the experience of putting on a new pair of glasses and the world becomes clearer, crisper, sharper. What can we do to recognize our blindspots and what can we do to cure them?

       Today is day two of a conference I am attending on affirmative action. I presume I was invited because of my involvement in the LGBTQ community.  Spending many years of my youth as a the only white kid in predominantly afro-american community, I thought I understood more tan the average joe. The meetings I attended yesterday have shown me just how much I don't know. Another blind spot. So not only have I discovered I didn't know as much as I thought I did in regards to affirmative action, I also discovered a bit of arrogance on my part. A big solution to our blindspots is first, not to be arrogant enough to thing we already have all the answers when in fact we never can. If we are lucky we may have a small piece of an answer.  We shouldn't let ourselves think that just because we know a little about something, it makes us an expert.

        Today I will pray for a whole host of people in my life who have asked for help and people I see who are in need of love, support and answers. I will also pray for myself in all humbleness. God please help me to remember you gave me two ears and only one mouth.