Category Archives: 8th

What is “bad faith”? “Bad faith”is a sustained form of deception which consists of entertaining or pretending to entertain one set of feelings while acting as if influenced by another. It is associated with hypocrisy, breach of contract, affectation, and lip service. It may involve intentional deceit of others, or self-deception.

In today’s gospel reading we witness how Jesus masterly unmasks his opponents’ “bad faith” by questioning them about the validity of John the Baptist’s ministry. Now, since they refused to believe in John, they should have answered that his ministry was purely of human origin – if they had been honest. But they admit among themselves, “we fear the crowd” (Mt 23:26). In other words, these religious opponents of Jesus are more concerned about their personal safety than about the truth, which shows their bad faith. They want to save their skin rather than live up to their true convictions.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are we willing to be honest and true to our convictions? Are we willing to call a spade a spade? Or have we become like these religious leaders, who chose to have “bad faith” instead of having “true faith” or being honest in our convictions?

In today’s Gospel, we see an example of what happens to people who will not face the truth. They have to twist and wriggle and in some cases even tell lies in an attempt to save face, and in the end get themselves into an embarrassing position in which they have nothing to say or they end up saying even more silly things, or stupid things or nonsense. The person who will not face the truth has nothing but the prospect of a deeper involvement in a situation that renders him helpless and ineffective.

The question that we perhaps may want to ponder is this: do we want to live peacefully and joyfully in truth, or are we continuously preferring to live a lie? Why do some of us choose to live a lie when we have been reminded so many times that the truth will set us free, and a lie will continue to enslave us and could even cause us to ultimately lose our relationship with God? May we choose wisely which path we take, and be ready to face the consequences accordingly.

When we successfully complete a task or a job well done, some of us would try to grab credit or glory. Some may try to claim that the task or job was done through one’s own effort, and in some cases, put others down to lift oneself up. While it may be good to give credit where credit is due, how many of us would be willing and humble enough to give God the glory for the task or job done?

In today’s reading, we see how credit and glory is given to God for the gift of wisdom. The reading tells us: “Thanks to her I have advanced; the glory be to him who has given me wisdom! For I am determined to put her into practice, I have earnestly pursued what is good, I will not be put to shame.” Not only credit and glory is given to God, the wisdom received would be put into practice. Wisdom is not meant for one’s gratification or to show how capable or great one is, but ultimately to give glory to God. Are we using wisdom properly for the good of others and for the greater glory of God?

Some people think that when it comes to salvation, all they need to do is to call upon the Name of Jesus and they are saved. They are also given the impression that salvation requires a personal relationship between themselves and God. It seems as if all they need to do is to take care of themselves, to each his or her own, so to speak. But is that what Christian salvation all about? Is being a Christian an individualistic affair, where one is to be concerned only with one’s spiritual growth in Christ?

Today’s reading dispels many of such assumptions. The reading reminds us: “But you, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life. When there are some who have doubts reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out; but there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution, keeping your distance even from outside clothing which is contaminated by vice.”

From the reading, we can clearly see that accepting Jesus is not enough, since one must also build on one’s faith; be consistent in prayer life; remain in God’s love; and be patient in waiting for the mercy of Jesus Christ. Not only that, one also needs to reach out to others, while showing kindness and mercy to those who may have become hardened in their sinful ways, but also being cautious not to allow ourselves and others to follow such sinful ways. Would we be willing and humble in our efforts to help ourselves and others to remain faithful in God’s ways, and show good example to all?