Consistency in prayer —“ and its natural outcome, a consistent and holy way of life, is vitally important.

In today’s first reading St. Paul takes St. Peter to task for being a hypocrite.

I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.

Peter freely welcomed the Gentiles. After all, he was called early to minister to Cornelius, a Gentile, and after God poured out the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius and his family in front of Peter, Peter could not refuse them baptism. Upon entering the house of Cornelius:

Peter proceeded to speak and said, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.”

Peter ate with and prayed alongside the Gentiles, until his friends from Jerusalem showed up. Then he was on the spot. St. Peter had a knack for placing himself in uncomfortable positions antithetical to the faith he knew. Paul called him on it.

Paul was saying, live like you pray, in unity with your faith. Otherwise you are a hypocrite.

Peter should have, and we should remember that Jesus thoroughly condemned hypocrites. Jesus told people that they mustn’t pray or give alms for show —“ but in truth, and from the heart. Jesus demands that we live fully in Him.

When the disciples asked, Jesus gave them the perfect prayer. That prayer is to be the model for our lives. A prayer opposed to hypocrisy.

By that prayer —“ the Our Father, we join ourselves to the will of God, placing Him as the object of our devotion and love, and relying upon Him for all that is good. We conform ourselves to God in our prayer, in our faith, and in every aspect of our lives.

St. Canice, whom we honor today, was the son of a popular bard from county Derry in Ireland. He felt God’s call to a life of holiness. A call that is not foreign to us. He was ordained a priest and traveled a missionary route through Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, founding many monasteries. While an essentially lonely figure, he copied the scriptures and wrote a treatise on them. He preached the Gospel with missionary zeal, even converting his own brother.

Let us imitate St. Canice. Let us be cautious of hypocrisy in the practice of our faith —“ for our faith is our life. Let us pray with zeal, being consistent in prayer, and conforming our lives to our prayer. Like St. Canice, let us spread the Gospel by our zeal and by our example.