Righteousness is not self-righteousness

Righteousness is not self-righteousness

Matthew 5:20-26. Righteousness that surpasses Pharisees and scribes

The Pharisees have become experts of self-righteousness, complying with the letter of the commandments for the sake of spectacle. The challenge is to go beyond or even avoid spectacle for appearance’s sake, for what matters is what a person or organization does outside the public eye.

The paradox is that being right is not about boosting one’s ego. Authentic righteousness is not self-righteousness. Being right is about humbling our ego so as to not feel entitlement towards a reward. Anonymous charity, I think, is a pure form of authentic love and righteousness, because it is a kind of charity that does not seek recognition as the hypocrites do when they fast.

The challenge is that in business and politics, this goes against the norm of public relations and political campaigning. But I’d like to believe that people can possess a discerning eye — detecting bullshit from the authentic through dialogic reflection.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 70: MARCH 11, 2022]