Let’s go with sincerity to Jesus!

Indeed, none of us likes pretense. And he who has a straight backbone hates it. And rightly so. If we think this way, we take to heart the words of the Lord Jesus, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20).

The Pharisees tried to keep the commandments, but how? Only outwardly. They did it only for praise and recognition. In short, to show how “perfect” they were. In their hearts in another way, and outwardly also in another way. It was enough for them to look nice in front of people, but they didn’t care about their inner selves. And thus, they were driven to destruction because their heart was far from God. And this is why Jesus reminds us and even compares external righteousness with internal righteousness. Many thought it was enough to be outwardly lovely, yet they believed that no one could see into their hearts anyway.

Brothers and sisters, does anyone see into our hearts? Yes, they do. Even if the deceiver does not, God sees into each of our hearts very clearly, and He evaluates our actions from the heart’s perspective. Therefore, what is already hidden in our hearts, what we are forging and preparing within ourselves, is very important. And these are not empty and meaningless words but a reality. And it is precisely today when we see moral values being disregarded, trampled upon, and devalued when the murder of unborn children is carried out with impunity. But is it with impunity, even with God?

He who is angry deserves judgment. So anger deserves punishment, and murder, murder of the unborn in the mother’s womb, that should be without trial, without penalty? Whoever allows such wickedness and whoever carries it out, or allows himself to be carried out, only shows that nothing is sacred to him and that he has no shred of responsibility or sound judgment!
And every one of us, brothers and sisters, who want to save his soul from eternal misfortune, will also condemn these crimes committed around us. And that is why the Lord Jesus goes to the root of these murders, He goes to the idea of looking lustfully at a woman, and we may add: even when you look lustfully at a man because these sins are equally severe in women and men. When someone claims nothing wrong with this, he only proves how far he is from moral principles.

What do you mean, when does a thief become a thief? Is it only when he steals something? Isn’t it when he makes a plan? Verily, by the very thought of stealing, one becomes a thief inwardly. He remains a thief if he has failed to carry out the theft outwardly, perhaps because he was a policeman on the spot, but he has already committed a severe sin in his heart. And so it is with anger and with a lustful thought or looks. It takes the right opportunity to bring an idea, desire, or request to fruition, and it becomes a deed. You may have heard it said: I would like to kill him. Or you may have seen children playing with guns and pointing them at each other as if they were shooting. Or in a tavern, you’ve witnessed someone say, “I’d like to be with that Fer’s wife… Although these are all just thoughts, words, and desires, can they be considered sinless? What if the opportunity presents itself? Even then, it will be innocent?!

You may have seen the movie, Relive Your Hell: A mother left alone with her son and remarried years later. The son was then 12 years old. With her new husband, they had a daughter. When the little girl was seven years old, someone kidnapped and murdered her. Do you know who did it? The son, barely 20 years old, did it out of jealousy of his mother, father, and little sister. When his mother remarried, he was internally consumed by it. He made plans for revenge, punished them, and got back at his mother, who shared her love and care with several. And after seven years of projects, inner rage, jealousy, and anger – murder! Where did it begin, brothers and sisters? What preceded the terrible deed? It was thoughts, plans, and desires.

Is there anyone here who would say that thoughts, anger, lustful glances, and the murder of the unborn – there is nothing wrong with that? Indeed, no one in his right mind would claim such a thing. Jesus knew that it would also require sacrifice, self-control, a strong will, and a backbone to live up to his words, so he helps us with his power to keep our thoughts, insides, and hearts pure.

He offers Himself to us at every Mass as the bread of life, which will often receive our interior if we receive it into our pure hearts. We are best prepared if we resist the evil influences of our surroundings, which sound all that is holy. The Lord Jesus is waiting for us. He wants to help us. He would like to come to us. We will open our hearts to him. But to have our hearts ready for him, let us pray together, “Jesus, I know that all pretension, all Phariseeism, is terrible to you. I want to amend my inward parts according to your words. Be my help that even in today’s world, I may prove that to live with you is gain, that to live with you is happiness, joy, and proper security. I will often receive you into my pure heart in Holy Communion so that my soul may be full of you and nothing else may enter it. I want to live with you. I want to get into the kingdom of heaven.