Readings: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Psalm 50; Matthew 23:1-12
The phrase “practise what you preach” has become something of a cliché: sound advice, but we have heard it all before. And yet we all know exactly what is being criticised by that phrase. There are people who simply do not practise what they preach: they say one thing and do the opposite. With words they set themselves up as an authority, and with actions they show themselves to be ignorant. There is little more repulsive than listening to one who does not practise what they preach.
But then there comes a time when I realise that I do not practise what I preach. I recognise in myself a gap between saying and doing: where do I stand now? Am I no better than the people I detest because they do not practise what they preach? No, is the answer. We are not called to preach anything apart from Christ, or to do anything apart from conforming to him. It is at this moment that I realise that I have exalted myself, and when I have done that, the Lord warns me that I shall be humbled.
Humbled, not humiliated. The moment I realise that I do not practise what I preach is the moment when I stop making noise and listen. There is only one Master; there is only one Father – without union with Him I am nothing. If I preach the Love of Christ, and remain in that, then what I say is already being practised.
You have absolutely hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this. I really needed it.
It is preaching love that moves people. When individuals in our Church stop preaching love and forgivness and point to sin alone then the error of the Pharasees becomes real for all of us. We have been in a period of humility for some time in the U.S. because of the humanity and pride of our leaders.
ReplyDeleteJim
Isn't it also true that the offence is not given primarily by not practicing what you preach, but by not recognising that you don't - and why ?
ReplyDeleteAfter all, football managers can't on the whole, play football at the highest levels; but they recognise their own inabilities, whilst also having the skills to communicate to others what needs to be done, and to inspire them to do it.
Few preachers - even Dominicans - are saints (and indeed the greatest saints are quite certain that they're nothing of the kind !) : but that doesn't prevent them inspiring others to sanctity, providing that they recognise their own shortcomings, and are honest about them.
St Thomas (and the Scholastics in general) distinguished between two kinds of grace: 'gratia gratum faciens' which makes one gracious and pleasing to God. It is sometimes translated as 'sanctifying grace' since it makes one holy.
ReplyDeleteThe other is 'gratia gratis data', grace freely given, in that it does not contribute to one's own sanctification but is given that one may help others and contribute to their salvation.
It would appear, then, that a preacher may be given the latter even if he had not the former, although of course it is preferable that he were given both!
An old priest once said to me: "It may not come out of a posh bottle with a fancy label, but it's still clean water, and it will save your life."
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