"....Distinguish between virtue and the appearance of it;"
Act V, Scene I, Cléante
What looks all great and dandy on the outside may not have the same beauty on the inside. This is the perfect description of Tartuffe. He was a gilded, pious, slappable kind of guy. Personally, my favorite moment in the play was the second to last scene of the final act where he was finally carted off to prison. Maybe now this family could go back to life as normal.
I can see so much of myself in this though. I grew up in an especially traditional baptist church, so appearance of good rather than the doing of good reigned supreme in most, if not all cases. It's so easy to pray like the publican, out loud, where everyone can see you, and to boast about what you give and how much you serve so that all can hear. This only hides our heart's true intent--to receive all the honor and glory. It elevates pride and ignores God.
This struggle is most apparent in my life when I am on platform/stage on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night at church. The glamorous pull of the lights and production lures me from the glorious privilege of coming before our Lord, humble, to worship at his feet.
It's in these moments where the Holy Spirit convicts me of where I am, and where I should be. Virtue isn't a surface level trait, it should exude from within. Tartuffe as a whole provided me with an example of what false virtue looks like.
I commented on AnnaKate's and Madison's
Act V, Scene I, Cléante
What looks all great and dandy on the outside may not have the same beauty on the inside. This is the perfect description of Tartuffe. He was a gilded, pious, slappable kind of guy. Personally, my favorite moment in the play was the second to last scene of the final act where he was finally carted off to prison. Maybe now this family could go back to life as normal.
I can see so much of myself in this though. I grew up in an especially traditional baptist church, so appearance of good rather than the doing of good reigned supreme in most, if not all cases. It's so easy to pray like the publican, out loud, where everyone can see you, and to boast about what you give and how much you serve so that all can hear. This only hides our heart's true intent--to receive all the honor and glory. It elevates pride and ignores God.
This struggle is most apparent in my life when I am on platform/stage on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night at church. The glamorous pull of the lights and production lures me from the glorious privilege of coming before our Lord, humble, to worship at his feet.
It's in these moments where the Holy Spirit convicts me of where I am, and where I should be. Virtue isn't a surface level trait, it should exude from within. Tartuffe as a whole provided me with an example of what false virtue looks like.
I commented on AnnaKate's and Madison's
Comments