Looking good

is the most important thing for worldly people.

This attitude infects even religious people. Churchgoers are so concerned about what others might think that they will do anything, even to the point of sacrilege. Politicians make a big show of going to Church and occasionally saying religious things while promoting grave evil.

So also in today’s readings there are religious people focused on externals: Paul argues against those who believe physical circumcision is necessary for salvation and a Pharisee clucks in disapproval when our Lord does not perform ceremonial ablutions in his presence.

What is important - what is necessary for salvation - is “faith working through love” by the grace of Christ Jesus.

Externals matter - to a certain extent. Washing up before meals is a good thing, but it does not affect our eternal salvation. Following the commandments, doing works of charity, avoiding evil... these are good things too - not because they earn us a place in heaven, but because they manifest our “faith working through love” which is our grace-empowered response to the gift of truth and salvation God has given us in Christ.

It is easy for us to get into ruts: to let our practice of the faith become routine and heartless. It is easy for us to be swayed by peer pressure and the world’s cult of “looking good.”

We continually need to reconnect our attitudes and actions with what’s really important: not so much looking good, but being good and doing good in the name and grace of Jesus.