Matthew 6: 1-6 is part of Today’s Reading: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
Those whose highest goal is the approval of other human beings have replaced God with self. “I act holy. I am good.”
When we apply this teaching to TV, we see throngs of vain people willing to make utter fools of themselves by repeating the popular lies of the day. Brown furrowed, those who want to appear to be good say, “We have to be very concerned about Global Warming.”
Others, in similar manifestations of public holiness, go on and on about “The unfairness of ________.”, “School lunches are important.”, “Cars and houses are too big.”, “We are being destroyed by some harmless gas.”
Those who publicly lie to gain human approval are too vain to consider the great risk they run: “And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” is the most frightening thing an approval-worshiper could hear, if they could understand.
