We are Hypocrites (Sometimes)
As Catholics and many other Christians celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend, we are graciously invited into Holy Week by being reminded that we are often hypocrites.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls out the religious leaders of his time for their inability to see God among them. They are too obsessed with keeping “the law” than seeing God in their midst. Recent Gospel readings have demonstrated how the religious authorities were obsessed with the occurrence of a miracle on the Sabbath instead of the miracle itself.
This is also a warning for us, especially those of us who consider ourselves “religious.” Throughout Lent, our Sunday readings have called us out for our blindness and inability to love without condition.
As we enter Palm Sunday, our hypocrisy is on full display. The same people who cheer Jesus by waving palms as he returns to Jerusalem will call for his death a few days later. The Church appropriately involves us by waving our palms as Mass begins, and then to join the chorus of “Crucify him,” as we relive the Lord’s passion.
We must, especially during these turbulent times, be cautious of our current display of hypocrisy, as it can play out in a few different ways.
The first is how we, especially in America, see Jesus as an inspiration and divine source for battle. The recent war in Iran has been presented by US military leaders as a part of God’s divine plan. So much blood has been shed over 2,000 years in Jesus’ name, and we keep making the same mistakes.
But notice how Jesus enters Jerusalem this Palm Sunday. He is not a great soldier on a majestic horse. He is a simple man, carrying no weapons, riding on a humble donkey.
Jesus, the epitome of non-violence, is often twisted into a warrior, a great soldier. This is not the Jesus of the Gospel. It is the Jesus of our insecure minds and egos. It is the Jesus of our need to be in power and in control.
The second warning of hypocrisy is how Christians so often do not act Christ like. Mahatma Gandhi is attributed to saying, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Ouch!
He isn’t wrong. Anyone who is involved in a faith community knows that sometimes our Church neighbors are not as welcoming and compassionate as we expect. And yes, sometimes, we aren’t the best neighbor either.
I find direction, in my attempt to not contribute to this hypocrisy, by following these words from St. Francis, “Preach the Gospel, and only when necessary, use words.” (This is a constant challenge for a spirituality writer like myself).
In other words, show me who you follow by your compassion, charity, advocacy, and unconditional love. It doesn’t matter how shiny the cross is around your neck, the amount of money you put in the collection basket, or how loudly you recite your prayers. Show me how you love one another. So simple yet so difficult.
The third way hypocrisy is on display this day is found in the power of the masses. Amazingly, at first, those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday appreciated God in their midst. Because of his miracles, preaching, and example of love, people finally saw Jesus as who he was. Finally, they got it!
How quickly they changed their tune as the crowd shifted their attitude. It is amazing how powerful the masses can be, as we so easily follow the crowd. Maybe it is rooted in our deep need to belong, to be accepted. As propaganda divides us then and now, it is also difficult to stand up against the majority, to be alone (at times) in our beliefs.
This hypocrisy should be a warning for all of us, especially those who plant their flags in political and religious ideologies. How we foolishly follow blindly the loudest and most powerful voices. Look no further than the extremes of our political camps where their leaders do no wrong, and they are quick to either demonize the other side or point to the failures of past leadership from the other side. Accountability no longer matters, just the need to be right.
When we look to Jesus this week, he is the victim of the self-righteousness of the masses and the power of religious and political leaders. He suffers and is murdered because of his message of peace. No weapon to his name, just love.
To summarize, if you and I are going to call ourselves Christians, we better act like Christ. Otherwise, we are no better than the hypocrites who waved palms before calling for the death of another innocent person. May we finally stop contributing to this pattern of hurt, violence, and pain, especially when we do it in the name of Christ.
