Father's Reflection 9.1.24

Hypocrites: probably the most common word that Jesus uses to describe the scribes and Pharisees of His time. To be a hypocrite means we say or profess one thing and then do just the opposite. When Jesus is rebuking the “religious people” in the Gospels, we should pay attention because if we go to church and profess to be Christian, we are those "religious people" today!

One of the areas of hypocrisy that we can all struggle with is gossip. In fact, I think some would argue that church circles can be worse about gossip than those outside of the church! To gossip is not necessarily to say something untrue about someone; that would be called “slander” or “defamation.” Gossip is a form of detraction, hurting someone’s reputation, by sharing something true about another person’s faults without a valid reason, i.e., for some kind of legal or personal intervention. Sometimes we can disguise gossip as “venting” or “seeking advice,” so it’s important to ask Jesus what the real motivation is behind what we say! 

We may gossip because we get some pleasure out of talking about others’ faults and tearing them down, or we may be trying to deflect from reflecting on our own faults, or we might just be bored and looking for a superficial way to connect with others. Regardless of the reason, it always hurts us, the people we are talking to, and the people we are talking about.

I have made the mistake of talking about others when it was not appropriate, and I am resolved to not do that and, instead, to say the things that will help others or build up the body of Christ rather than tear it down in any way.

Let’s hold each other accountable and raise the standard for how we talk, so that others will know we are Christians not only by what we say but also by what we don’t say!

Rejoice in hope,

Fr. Joel