Obstacle to Faith

The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Roland Aquino SVD – Catholic Trade Manila

Tuesday 21st Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus’ strong denunciation against the hypocrisy of “religious people,” the Pharisees and the scribes in particular, calls attention to the recent remark about the Catholic Church in the Philippines being the “biggest hypocritical institution.”

When asserting its moral stand against evil, the Church gets the doubly sharper accusatorial retort, “Look who’s talking.” Critics are now getting bolder and more vocal in pointing out the hypocrisy of so-called “religious people” or the church in general. The scandal of hypocrisy – the biggest obstacle to faith – was the whole point of Jesus’ lamentation against the religious experts in his time.

The church’s chief purpose is to produce saints – those who reflect the image of a sacred and loving God. Reality checks indicate otherwise. Church workers and volunteers get shouted at or reprimanded because of some accidental mistakes in liturgical rites; they are arbitrarily dismissed due to petty envy and favoritism; those to whom church funds are entrusted show indiscretion in their lavish lifestyle; they show cold indifference to the charity needs of those who have none.

When I was a parish priest presiding over church organization members’ pledge of commitment, I used to remind them that such ceremony should be regarded as a privileged moment of committed service to God and His people. The uniform, or any sacred garment used in the performance of sacred ministry, should never be a shield to hide the sins of hypocrisy.

The need and hope for conversion is not impossible. When we take seriously to heart the words of Jesus, we begin to discover that we are actually in some ways the scribes and Pharisees to whom Jesus directs His lament of hypocrisy.