The WORD in LENT - Second week, Tuesday
March 07, 2023: Isaiah 1: 10,16-20; Matthew 23: 1-12
"Do what they tell you but do not do what they do" - how would I feel if someone said this of me! However, the world is not far from saying that to us Christians. When Mahatma Gandhi said, 'I like Christ, but not Christians', what he meant was exactly this - that we call ourselves Christ-ians, but we seem to be far, far away from the way of life that Christ stood for. Look at the in-fights we have and the kind of stand we take on very many issues. Are they not indicative of this hypocritical discrepancy?
My deeds have to speak the words of faith, and my faith has to be demonstrated by congruent and consistent deeds - this is where peace shall be born. This situates us at the centre of a dialogue between Orthodoxy or right belief and Orthopraxis or right living. Believing the right thing, understanding what I believe and my earnest effort to live daily what I believe, will lead me to doing the right thing and standing by right values. And there shall be peace!
Orthodoxy and Orthopraxis are two things that cannot be separated one from the other. Humility, Mercy, Forgiveness, Compassion and True Love...if these do not describe my person, I am no Christian! The more I grow in these, the more I grow to be a Christian. Have a look at those verbs that Isaiah presents to us today - wash, clean, learn, search, help, be just, plead, come, walk and listen - that is a recipe for orthopraxis, which is an essential constituent of peace - peace in my heart, peace where I am and the world peace!
Orthopraxis, or the right way of life, gave Jesus the authority to stand up and speak, be it in the Sanhedrin or to the Herodians or before the Roman Governor. Indeed, if my Christian life has to have real meaning, I need to pay attention to my way of life, my orthopraxis, and only that shall lead to true peace!