Readings: Malachi 1:14-2:2, 8-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13; Matthew 23:1-12
How Hypocrites are Religious People?
1.
In
his book, Sunday Homilies Year A, Mark Link, S.J. writes about the story written
by Flannery O’Connor titled “Parker’s back”. I believe this story captures the
difficulty of living with self-righteous people. The story takes place in the
Deep South, where O.E. Parker and his wife, Sarah Ruth, live in a rundown
shack. Sarah Ruth constantly nags her husband about his lack of religion. She
also despises the tattoos that decorate his body.
2.
One
day, in a stumbling effort to improve his relationship with Sarah Ruth, Parker
decides to have a large picture of Jesus tattooed on his back. When he returns
home and displays his back to Sarah Ruth, she gives no sign of acknowledgment.
“Don’t you know who it is?” says Parker. “It’s him! It’s God!” Sarah Ruth
snarled belligerently, “God, don’t look like that! He’s a Spirit, and no one’s
ever seen his face.” Parker groans, “Aw, it’s just a picture.” “Idolatry!”
screams his Sarah Ruth. Then she grabs a blunt instrument and begins beating
Parker savagely across the back. Flannery O’Connor concludes her touching story
by saying: “Parker sat there and let her beat him until she nearly knocked him
senseless and large welts had formed on the face of the tattooed Christ. Then
he staggered up and made for the door.” Later, when Sarah Ruth glanced outside,
her eyes hardened evermore. There was Parker leaning against a pecan tree,
crying like a baby. His tears were not from the savage beating. They were from
the fact that Parker now realized there was nothing he could do to please his
self-righteous wife.
3.
The
story demonstrates the constant confrontation between Jesus and the
self-righteous Pharisees. No wonder Jesus called them hypocrites. Jesus could
see through their pretentious lives and called them out constantly. He
contrasts their lives with that of Nathanael when he says, “Here is a true Israelite. There
is no duplicity in him.” (John 1:47). “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and
your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37).
4.
The
Pharisees were organized Jewish leaders devoted to the literal practice of the
Jewish law, the ‘Torah.’ They always took the chair of leadership and authority
and loved to be addressed as teachers. They portrayed themselves as law-abiding
Jews and loved to be seen as holy men. Since they interpreted the law, they
felt that it was obvious to others that they were above the law. Those who did
not obey the law were considered, obviously, as sinners who should neither be
seen nor heard. They took offense at those who associated with sinners. “If
this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is
who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” (Lk. 7:39). Seeing their
hearts and knowing the kind of lives they lived, Jesus called them hypocrites.
Jesus constantly confronted the Pharisees for their pretentious lives. A
hypocrite is someone who pretends to have beliefs or virtues that they don’t
actually have. Their actions and moral lives contradict their professed beliefs
and teachings.
5.
Jesus
warns us against a life of hypocrisy. We must live what we preach and preach
what we profess. This refers to parents, teachers, preachers, and secular and
religious leaders. Christ recognized the teaching authority of the Pharisees
and so asked us to listen to our leaders, spiritual and temporal. If they do
not practice what they preach, we are encouraged to take their teaching but
abandon their way of life. We must be humble, authentic, honest, and genuine.
Many people wear masks that prevent people from knowing who they are. We tell
lies to cover up our inadequacies and shortcomings. We pretend to be what we
are not. To cap it all, we find fault with others and condemn and judge them
for the same weaknesses that we see in ourselves. A little compassion can go a
long way to assure others of God’s love for them. If Sarah Ruth had shown
compassion, love, mercy, and forgiveness to her husband, Parker, it would have
been easy for him to follow Sarah’s God, but she made it impossible for Parker.
His little effort to please her was not good enough. Like Christ was never good
enough for the Pharisees, Parker was never good enough for his self-righteous
wife.
6. We should be on the watch about the kind of life we live and the kind of example we give others, especially children. Questions: Am I an honest person? Do I practice what I preach? Do I boast and inflate my ego to demonstrate that I am better than who I am? Why am I afraid to tell people who I am? Am I afraid they won’t like me if they know who I am? Let us always remember that God loves us the way we are. If we lie and hide from others, we cannot hide from God. Honesty is still the best policy. Be good, and let goodness be!
Augustine
Etemma Inwang, MSP
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