Tuesday, 17/10/2023
Women understand the language of “packaging.” They package front and back, head and toe and paint their faces with assorted colours and inks. Some spend one hour in the bathroom, others two hours (as if they are having a bath), using expensive and bleaching creams and soaps. They are “certified artists” by birth, with artificial hair, fingernails and shapes in order to be presentable. Don’t be surprised that some married men have not seen the natural face of their wives even after five years of marriage, because they make up even to bed.
However, packaging or make-up is not entirely bad. But it would gear admiration when it is holistically done; when you package your face and your heart, beautify your body and your character, and decorate your mouth and your manner. Packaging should be physical and spiritual beautification.
In the gospel today, Jesus said to his disciples “he who made the outside made the inside also” (Lk 11:37-41).
The Pharisees accused Jesus of impurity and breaching of law. They complained that he disrespected the tradition of the ancestors by not following the rite of washing hands before meals. The Pharisees strongly believed in external purity; washing of plates and dishes before meal.
Jesus seized the opportunity to teach them the true meaning of purity and holiness. He outrightly called them “fools” because they reduced holiness to mere ritual, as people in our time reduced spirituality to prayer, and Christianity to going to Church. They had clean dishes but dirty hearts, holy attires but unholy characters.
Today, we have such Pharisees everywhere. They smile at you but plan evil at you, they sing your praises but kill your reputation, they eat with you but deal with you thereafter. They appear holy in attire but are unretired devils. These I called unchristian Christians. Christians with beautiful faces but dangerous hearts.
Holiness as we know begins at heart. It is not a matter of hygiene or ritual. We need to fix our hearts, package our consciences and decorate our lives with holiness, forgiveness and forbearance.
If half of the time spent at the mirror and bathroom is spent in examining and decorating our hearts and consciences, we will be holier than Angel Gabriel.
Remember, package your heart in order to gear divine admiration.
When last did you go to confession (Sacrament of reconciliation)?