The following is from a Homily given by Fr Anthony Casamento at the Footsteps Mass here at The Hermitage on Tuesday 25 August:
Today's Gospel is one of the strongest challenges Jesus ever gives. At first glance, Jesus seems to be criticising people who are trying very hard to be religious.
They were meticulous. They followed rules. They paid attention to the smallest details of the law.
But Jesus is not against discipline or tradition. In fact, he says, "These you should have practiced without neglecting the others."
The problem isn't that they care about the small things. The problem is that they have forgotten the big things.
They have become experts at appearances while neglecting the condition of the heart.
Jesus uses a simple image everyone understands. Imagine being invited to dinner and being handed a sparkling clean glass.
It shines on the outside—but inside it's dirty. No one would want to drink from it.
Jesus says that's what happens when our public image is polished but our inner life is neglected.
The Gospel invites every one of us to ask a simple but confronting question: Who am I becoming on the inside?
Not simply: What grades am I getting? How successful am I? How busy am I? How do other people see me?
But: Am I becoming more compassionate? More truthful? More forgiving? More courageous? More like Christ?
And I think this this question lies at the very heart of Marist education. You see, Marist schools have never claimed that education is only about academic achievement. Excellence matters—but it is never the whole story.
The Marist tradition, inspired by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, has always believed that education is about forming good Christians and good citizens; young people whose minds are educated, whose hearts are formed, and whose lives are lived in service of others.
Marcellin knew that if education only fills the mind but never shapes the heart, something essential is missing.
He once said that to educate children well, "we must love them, and love them all equally."
That is not simply a teaching strategy. It is a Gospel strategy. Justice. Mercy. Faithfulness. Exactly the qualities Jesus says matter most.
Every Marist school has classrooms, sporting fields, music rooms and science labs. These are wonderful places of learning.
But perhaps the most important lessons are often learned somewhere else.
They are learned when a student notices someone sitting alone and chooses to include them.
When a teacher stays back after school because a young person needs someone to listen. When older students mentor younger ones. When mistakes are forgiven rather than weaponised. When success is celebrated without arrogance. When failure is met with hope rather than shame.
These moments don't usually appear on report cards.
But they are precisely the "weightier matters" Jesus is talking about. Justice. Mercy. Faithfulness. They are signs that the inside of the cup is becoming clean.
One of the beautiful characteristics of Marist schools is the emphasis on family spirit.
Family spirit is much more than friendliness. In a family, people matter more than performance.
People are loved before they succeed. People belong before they achieve. That echoes the way Mary lived.
Mary never sought recognition. She never tried to appear important. Her greatness came from her openness to God. She was beautiful on the outside because she was beautiful on the inside.
Perhaps that is why Marists have always looked to Mary as their model. She reminds us that holiness is usually quiet. It grows through small acts of love repeated every day. Not dramatic gestures. Not impressive appearances. Simply faithful hearts.
Our world often tells young people that image is everything. How many followers. How many likes. How successful you appear. How perfect your life looks.
Jesus quietly turns all of that upside down. God is not impressed by appearances. God looks at the heart. And that is wonderfully freeing. Because none of us has to pretend. None of us has to be perfect.
We simply have to allow Christ to keep shaping us from the inside.
Every school day offers opportunities to do exactly that. Every conversation. Every friendship. Every decision to tell the truth. Every act of kindness. Every apology. Every effort to include someone who feels invisible.
These are not interruptions to education. They are education.
As we celebrate our Marist mission today, perhaps the Gospel leaves us with one simple challenge.
When people leave our schools—whether students, staff or families—will they remember us simply for our buildings, our results or our reputation?
Or will they remember that they encountered a community marked by justice, mercy and faithfulness?
A place where they felt known. Welcomed. Forgiven. Encouraged. A place where Christ was present.
That is the kind of school Saint Marcellin Champagnat dreamed of. And that is the kind of community Jesus calls us to become.
So today, as we gather around the table of the Eucharist, we ask God for the grace not simply to polish the outside of our lives, but to transform us from within.
May our minds seek truth. May our hands serve generously. May our hearts grow in justice, mercy and faithfulness.
And through the example of Mary and Saint Marcellin Champagnat, may our Marist schools always form young people who shine—not because they look successful, but because Christ lives within them. Amen.
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