Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent - March 7, 2023

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Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Matthew 23:1-12

“Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.”

On Ash Wednesday 2020, I attended all school mass at Visitation. It was a beautiful day and I was looking forward to the beginning of Lent. I remember the homily Monsignor provided to the students, parents, and parishioners that day. It was all about integrity, or as Monsignor said emphatically IN-TEG-RI-TY. He talked about symbols that represent things we value or commitments we have made. For example, the crosses on the top of our church represent that God is present and we are a community of faith. If someone were to come into our church and not find people of faith, we are not living with integrity. He also cited married men and women who wear wedding rings. The rings symbolize the sacrament of holy matrimony, of love and commitment to their spouse. If you wear a wedding ring but are unfaithful and do not demonstrate love to one another, you are not living with integrity.

It has now been almost three years since I heard his homily and Monsignor has delivered scores of remarkable sermons since. I am not sure why that particular homily resonated so deeply with me. Perhaps it was because I was in the midst of a struggle with a friend, or because a global pandemic had turned our worlds upside down and I wasn’t sure what to do, or maybe it was because my husband and I are raising two children and I want them to see what married love is every day - even the hard days. Was I demonstrating integrity? How could I live out the Gospel and serve the Lord as we are called to do? I spent many hours reflecting on those questions.

As the final verse of the Gospel reminds us, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” May this always be a reminder of how God calls us to live - with a new heart, a new spirit, and with IN-TEG-RI-TY.

Q: Am I living with integrity? How do I demonstrate that on a daily basis?

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