Friday February 27, 2026

Matthew 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

How deep then did the virtue of the Scribes and Pharisees go? How deep is my or your virtue? We used to say in the old country that the true nature of someone truly comes out when life puts the squeeze on them. Maybe our Lord looked at his own disciples and wondered why they were even following him. This Lenten season let us all for an inner transformation that we be like the Father through and through.

I had a Jesuit friend of mine who put it beautifully. He works at a very high level at the chancellery. He said “you know, sometimes I wonder if these men (priests) are baptized Christians at all. We laughed and poured some more bourbon.

Here is a Lenten question for you? Is your faith skin deep? Is it for show? Here is how I know your virtue goes beyond that of the Pharisees and Scribes. I have seen you give without drawing attention to yourself. I have seen you go out of your way to say a kind word to someone. I have seen you be there for a friend in grief. I have seen you bite your tongue when that cousin got on your last nerve. You do these things because you are full of God.