Carmelite homily for Lectionary 469 – Wednesday, October 16, 2019
There’s a quotation of Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, that is so good that I keep it on my desk. She says, “When we are misunderstood and judged unfavorably, what good does it do to defend or explain ourselves? It is so much better to say nothing and allow others to judge us as they please.” Wow, is that tough! In today’s Gospel we have the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Scribes all being criticized by Jesus because of their self-righteousness. Instead of looking at themselves, they defend themselves and they attack Jesus and each other. I think Therese is right. Sanctity is, “When we are misunderstood and judged unfavorably; it is so much better to say nothing and allow others to judge us as they please.”