The Sermon and the Lunch

Coming home, we take off our disguises of social norms and customs and plump down on our chairs, laughing to our heart's content. Home seems to be a place where one can truly be "free" with your family - that is, to argue whenever, treat others with disinterest, and disregard all signs of respect you would normally show to strangers. These acts of disinterest and blunt nature may come from knowing each other for all your life. But there seems to be a slight problem with that, according to C.S Lewis' observation.

In his short article "The Sermon and the Lunch", C.S Lewis tells a story of a pastor who gives a sermon about the meaning of home. As the main character, C.S Lewis criticizes the hypocrisy of the preacher - not necessary because he was insincere, but because he does not mention the full meaning of home. Home life, C.S Lewis states in the story, is difficult and has, like every form of life, its own proper temptations and corruptions. Home being a place of rest and love, happiness, and peace is simply a false image wrought up by sentimental tradition.

To further support this observation, C.S Lewis brings the reader to his lunch experience with the pastor's family. The pastor, having to regard for what his son has to say, interrupts him constantly. The mother and daughter quarrel over what the neighbor had to say about them. C.S Lewis watches on quietly, as the lunch party turns to ruins.

Seeing the other side of the Pastor's sermon, C.S Lewis makes important points in which the pastor was incorrect. Kindness, love, generosity, and understanding may start in the family, but unkindness, hate, selfishness, and misunderstanding starts in the family as well. Home should be at the core of one's life, and spread out to the public. Once we strengthen our understanding of both good and bad relations we may be able to become "ourselves" at both the home and the public. Home shouldn't become a place where you unleash your anger and stress towards others in private. "Freedoms in which they indulge themselves at home have ended by making them unfit for civilized society," states C.S Lewis. That is why home seems to be a burden for most of us - because we have kept up with this artificial public image for too long.
If were home to be truly place of peace for one, then he/she would have to embrace the reality of pain and struggles that comes with such title.

Like this, our images in public and at church before God might have many differences. To God, we are "open" and "humble", but in public and at home we are actually "closed" and "proud". Not only are we artificial beings before others, but to God as well. We seem to "understand" reality and all the good and bad things that surround us, but in actuality we are lying to ourselves. We are afraid of society's judgment on our exterior appearances. We are afraid to be judged. We are afraid, but do not feel it that way, because we have lied to ourselves for so long. God sees right through all of us - the best we can do is to be truly open to the criticisms and comments of others, whether it is harsh or not, because it is a part of growing up to be a stronger Christian.