The world is governed more by appearance than realities

For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are. - Niccolo Machiavelli: (1469 – 1527: was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher and writer of the Renaissance period.)

Gospel Text: (MT 23:27-32)

Jesus said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"

How much hypocrisy do we have in our own lives? Do we live what we say and preach? Do we walk our talk? Do we honestly see and know our inner selves, what we really and truly are before ourselves and before the God who sees and knows all things? Do any of Jess' woes against the Pharisees and the leaders of the Law strike what we are and have been?