The Hidden Pain: Hypocrisy 2-9-10

In his “The Long Dark Winter’s Night,” Fr. Patrick Bergquest, an east coast priest serving as a Pastor in Fairbanks, Alaska, uses a few words from poet Robert Service to speak about the victims of “sins of the flesh, sins of presumption , or sins of just plain indifference....”  These sufferings and pains of those impacted buy our own hypocrisy are, as Service also wrote” “Eternal truths that shame our soothing lies.”

And whence comes this thought?  In Mark’s 7th chapter where the evangelist recalls how Jesus, while preaching in Genesaret, confronted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and a few scribes.  The leaders of the community had challenged Jesus’ disciples  who had eaten with unclean hands.  SPecial washing of the hands prior to eating was a long-standing Jewish tradition especially after returning form marketplace shopping.

Jesus recalls Isaiah’s prophetic words:  “This people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me ....”  You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”  How interesting is Jesus’ example of such hypocrisy.  He cites what must have been a challenging deprivation to elderly parents when a parent is not given financial assistance -- another Jewish practice -- so that money would be given to God and nothing to the parents.

Is there hypocrisy today in our own lives, around us?  You can bet on it.  Do we inflict customs on others to suit our own desires or needs yet overlook issues of justice?  Just think of these topics and you will find more than one affirmative answer:  fair wages, immigrant status, unwed mothers, aborted children, fair treatment of different sexual orientations, racism, ignoring the physically and mentally challenged, senior citizens in need, those without insure because of previous health conditions, the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the orphan, the unemployed, the unemployable, the chronically ill, those who cannot afford being sick or dying.

We an easily point to hypocrisy in local, state or federal government, to some lobbyists, even in our Church and other churches where there are benefits reaped for their own interests.  There is blindness in our eyes if we cannot look into our own houses, our hearts, to see if there are hypocritical realities.  Jesus surely rolled back a stone that unearthed many sings against mercy and justice.  In our personal lives are there “Eternal truths that shame our soothing lies”?  Maybe this might be a good topic for Lenten atonement!