Hope even for hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the situation that the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary address today. The psalmist identifies those who appear to direct religious practices yet do not accept the discipline of the spiritual journey in their lives. Matthew writes Jesus advice to do what the religious leaders say in relation to prayer and spiritual exercises but not to do what they do. There is always some difference between the ideal and the actual as we struggle in spiritual growth. The texts today indentify those situations where the struggle to serve and be thankful and humble has been abandoned. The ego has regained control. Isaiah continues to express the mercy and forgiveness of the Divine, even for those transgressions which have been identified by those around us as hypocrisy.