Matthew's gospel today seems to be taking aim at the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his time, and so it is, but it is also guaranteed to make any of us who think about it a little bit quite uncomfortable.

There's a saying that we've all heard that we have to "Walk the Talk" and it's pretty clear that we are called to do that today but there's a lot of very specific detail in this reading today that we may not understand, so it's probably worth a little explanation as we begin. 

Most of the bible scholar's agree that Matthew wrote his gospel specifically for the Jewish community that he lived with and so it's natural that the examples of Jesus' teaching he would remember and write about had to do with things and people that the Jews understood.  When he wanted his people to understand how Jesus wanted us to be equals and to live without hypocrisy, he used the Pharisees and scribes as his targets.

It's easy to call others hypocrites, especially in church, but if you ever hear someone say, "I never go to church because they're all hypocrites!"  Just say, "Don't let that stop you, there's always room for one more!"  And it's good to remember that if you let a hypocrite stand between you and God, then the hypocrite is actually closer to God than you are!

So what's all this about phylacteries and tassels and not calling anyone "Father"?  Well, the bible gives instructions in the book of Exodus and Deuteronomy and in the Book of Numbers that the chosen people were to remind themselves of the importance of God's Law by wearing a small piece of paper or cloth with part of the Law written on it, called a phylactery, and this was worn on the head and arms.  It was meant to be a reminder of their obedience but the Pharisees made big wide pieces of paper to show how holy they were and how much better than others they were.  The tassels on the Jewish people's prayer shawl was to set them apart from the pagans but the Scribes and Pharisees made them so long and fancy that they set themselves apart from their own people.  So the lesson isn't so much about the specifics of Jewish dress, it's about not setting yourselves above others.

Jesus also tells them not to take on fancy titles to make themselves important and that we should not give them these titles either.  In the time of Jesus, Rabbi meant "Master teacher" and those who claimed to be Rabbi would often lead their own school of thought and divide the people into following men instead of the Law. 

The term "Father" was being used by the leader of the high Jewish Council to enforce his rulership, to show his special place, and Matthew was not saying that we shouldn't call our own parent "Father" or even that we shouldn't use the term as we do today to address our priests but rather that we shouldn't seek to put people in the place of God.  Even today as Catholics, we honour the Holy Father in Rome, but the gospel tells us to remember that he is the servant of the church, not the ruler and the respect we give him as a man must never be confused with the worship that we give to God alone.

So when you put the terminology aside, the message is clear.  It isn't the fancy things we wear or the names we use that count, it's what we do.  A popular phrase we have all heard is that we have to "Walk the Talk!"

It's hard to do!  How many of us have said, "Do as I say, not as I do!"  This gospel calls all of us to live up to our own principles and not just force them on others. 

This is not just for church leaders, but is for business leaders, for schoolteachers, for parents as they give example to their children.

How can we expect young people to learn when we are the hypocrites.  What about the father who yells at his teenage son about Drugs, but as he talks, he is puffing on a cigarette and drinking a beer.  You can just hear him, "Son, stay away from those drugs, (cough cough - puff puff), they're not healthy --- (chugg-chugg-chugg) --- Honey, would you get me another beer!"  The message is true but how will they learn when the person who send the message  doesn't live up to it.

We try to tell our children to tell the truth and then we get them to lie for us.  One of my favourite stories is about the parish priest who went to visit one of his church members homes.  As he arrived, the mother of the house saw him coming and, because she had no food to offer him, told her children to tell the pastor that she has gone out, and she hid behind the couch. When the children opened the door, the pastor walked in and asked if the mother or father of the house was in.  Then, from where he was standing he could see the legs of the mother sticking out from behind the couch. Meanwhile the children were telling him that the mother of the house had gone to the store to buy food. The pastor then said in a loud voice "Thank you children, but before I go I would like to pray for the mother of the house, for she has gone to the store and left her legs behind!"

You may not believe it now, but when I was in high school in the early sixties, I was one of the ones who wore my hair quite long.  We were imitating the Beatles and being rebellious.  Well, I went to St. Mike's high school in Toronto and the discipline there was quite strict.  We had a tough priest as a Vice-principal.  One day as I walked by his office, he yelled out, "Barringer, get in here!"  I walked up to his desk and he was leaning back in his chair, glasses on the end of his nose, cassock unbuttoned, holding a cigarette in yellowed fingers, ashes down the front of his black robe and dandruff on his shoulders, and he looked at me in my blue blazer, white shirt and tie, and my hair just over my collar, and he bellowed, "Barringer, you look like a slob! Get a haircut!"  It wasn't a very powerful lesson for me, by the time I got to university, my hair was over my shoulders!

This message isn't just for adults, it's for big sisters and brothers who are looked up to by the younger children in the family to see how they behave.  It's for high school seniors who show the way for the grade nines.  It's even for the grade 8's who are preparing for confirmation as the younger grades watch them to see how they will be different!

We all have the responsibility to do what we say we should do.  This is particularly true of us as Christians, as the non-Christian world watches us to see how we behave and to see if what we profess with our lips makes any real difference in our lives.

It takes strength and courage to live as Christ wants us to and the best way to gather that strength is to come forward and receive Jesus in the Eucharist as part of a faith community.  Then we have Jesus with us to strengthen us but we also have each other, to encourage each other, to admonish each other, to forgive each other and to support each other as we all try to walk our talk!

-  Deacon Steve