Smoke and Mirrors Do Not Fool God

After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."


Not everything is as it appears in our lives.  To others, we may give the appearance of being calm and serene and yet on the inside, we are nervous and fearful.  We can also give the illusion of being holy and centered on God and things of the Kingdom of God while the truth is we are very much engaged in the stuff of earth and we covet what others have and we work ourselves to death to get more and more things. God is not fooled by our attempts to appear holy.  He knows what is inside of our hearts and how closely it matches what we show to others.  Today I am going to spend some time during my quiet time to see how I measure up and to see where I need to improve so that my inside matches my outside.  Think about it.  I think it is a good way to spend some time. 

Don't forget your relatives and friends that may be in Purgatory.  Pray for them by name and pray also for the person who has been there the longest and has no one to pray for them.