“When is righteous too righteous?” This was a question a friend of mine posed to her pastor. His response? “Righteous is too righteous when it lacks compassion” —a wise response and one we must contemplate. Compassion means to have pity for and concern for the misfortunes and sufferings of others. “Righteous”, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means “morally right or justifiable”. We must, then, retain our moral convictions but, at the same time, not lack in compassion for our neighbor.
God does not shun true righteousness; on the contrary. Scripture says, “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face” (emphasis added Ps 11:7 NRSVCE). Scripture also says, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” (Jas 5:16). No small rewards there.
Problems arise when we are overly self-righteous, filled with pride, or have a pompous attitude of judgment towards others. Jesus said in Matthew’s gospel, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20). Who among us dares to say that we surpass the scribes and Pharisees of His day at all times and in any given moment?
Righteous Road Wisdom
“Don’t be so heavenly bound that you’re no earthly good.” These were my grandmother’s words to call attention to a righteous spirit. Her words made such an impression on me to be cognizant of being over zealous. For, one can easily crush someone’s spirit or turn them away from God with this attitude. My grandmother had some good one-liners. Another sayings was, “We are saved, but yet to be saved!”—this from her Lutheran and Methodist Protestant upbringing. As Catholics, we don’t prescribe to the “once saved, always saved” belief. However, I think we all get its chief message. That is: we are here, on this earth, working out our own salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). None of us on earth have as yet arrived in the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, we must make sure we are not too righteous — lacking in compassion or careful concern for others’ salvation.
Righteous Example
We mustn’t forget Jesus words, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 23:13). We must hold to truth and righteousness, but not say or do the things we preach or teach against. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,” said Jesus. “Therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach” (Mt 23: 2-3).
True righteousness and holiness of God is important, that is why Jesus said we are to “do whatever they teach you and follow it” because they “sit on Moses’ seat.” God had given Moses authority over His people. The same holds true with regards to the Catholic Church today, the Church Christ founded. We are to hold fast to the teachings of the Church through her Magisterium. [The “Magisterium” refers to the Pope in union with the bishops – the successors of Peter, the “rock” upon whom Jesus founded His Church] (Mt 16:18). We are to follow and live what Jesus teaches through his Church for our sanctification.
Further Unrighteousness
Other marks of unrighteousness, according to Our Lord, are doing deeds “to be seen by others”; loving “to have the place of honour at banquets”; “the best seats in the synagogues”; and desiring “to be greeted with respect in the market places” (Mt 23:6-7). Jesus said, “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Mt 23:12). The greatest among us, the one who is truly righteous and lacks not in compassion, says he, “will be your servant” (Mt 23:11).
How Do We Remain Compassionate?
“We catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,” quips another popular saying. We need to “shelve” any pharisaic attitudes so we are better able to minister to those around us with compassion.
How do we stay compassionate? We remain compassionate by having the heart of a servant. This does not mean compromising our beliefs from a misguided sense of compassion. Rather, we must remember to exhibit the all-important gifts of the Spirit in our interactions with others. Those identifiable gifts are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness and self-control . True righteousness is born of these and is the soil for conversions.
