20251017 THE CHRISTIAN FORM OF HYPOCRISY
17 October 2025, Friday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 4:1-8 |
Abraham was justified not by his actions but by faith
What shall we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him. And David says the same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds:
Happy those whose crimes are forgiven,
whose sins are blotted out;
happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 31(32):1-2,5,11 |
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: ‘I will confess
my offence to the Lord.’
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps18:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words gladden the heart, O Lord,
they give light to the eyes.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps32:22 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 12:1-7 |
Not one sparrow is forgotten in God's sight
The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And Jesus began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.
‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
THE CHRISTIAN FORM OF HYPOCRISY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 4:1-8; Ps 32:1-2,5,11; Lk 12:1-7]
In the Gospel, Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He warned the disciples, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees — that is, their hypocrisy.” What prompted Jesus to make this remark was His growing popularity, when “the people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another.” Jesus was warning His disciples not to fall into the trap of cheap popularity like the Pharisees, who observed the laws meticulously merely to impress others with their holiness, even as they sought loopholes to circumvent the laws themselves. All they desired was attention, recognition, and popularity. But their hearts were far from God, and there was a lack of integrity and charity in their lives.
However, before we commend ourselves as being better than they were, the truth is that many of us are not much different from the Pharisees. In fact, our hypocrisy is often even more subtle than theirs, giving the impression that we are true Christians because we believe and hold firmly to the doctrine that, unlike the Jews who believed that justification came through observance of the law, we claim that it is by faith alone and by grace alone in Christ. Sola fide and sola gratia is the maxim of the Reformed Christians as taught by Martin Luther. While Catholics also uphold this doctrine of sola fide and sola gratia, there are qualifications and nuances in how we interpret it. The real danger lies in a simplistic understanding of this doctrine, which leads to what the famous German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “the danger of cheap grace” — grace without cost. This doctrine of sola fide and sola gratia, when interpreted in a narrow manner, has brought ruin to the lives of some reformers because it resulted in the abuse of God’s grace. They started well but some ended badly.
Yet, from the outset, we must hold firmly to the doctrine of sola fide and sola gratia, even as Catholics. This doctrine is expounded extensively in St Paul’s Letter to the Romans. In today’s first reading, St Paul cited two examples to substantiate his teaching on justification by faith and grace alone. This was important especially for the Jews, who had long believed that fidelity to the law was the way to secure salvation. St Paul taught that salvation is a pure gift given by God and received through faith in Christ.
In the first instance, he cited the case of Abraham. “What shall we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended? If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight, because Scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him.” The law came long after Abraham, about 450 years later. Surely, Abraham was considered just not because he observed the law, but because of his faith in God, who called him out of Ur, the land of the Chaldeans, to Canaan, the Promised Land. He left his homeland and kinsmen in faith “when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” (Heb 11:8) “By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old — and Sarah herself was barren — because he considered him faithful who had promised.” (Heb 11:11)
Secondly, he cited the case of King David. He was chosen by God to be King of Israel. Although David had faith in God, he was not always faithful to God’s commandments. In fact, he broke all three commandments against his neighbour — first by coveting Bathsheba, secondly by committing adultery with her, and thirdly, to cover his shameful deed, by having her husband, Uriah, killed in the thick of battle. However, he was repentant, and God forgave him his sins and justified him. This is the context of what St Paul meant when he said, “If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favour but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him.” Then, citing Psalm 32, St Paul wrote, “David says the same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds: Happy those whose crimes are forgiven, whose sins are blotted out; happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.”
Justifying the wicked seems inconceivable, for we all demand justice. Clearly, therefore, those who are blessed are not those who have earned their rewards but those who have sinned and are forgiven, and whose sins God no longer holds against them. In declaring “innocent” those who are not, God grants us a status we do not deserve. This is the heart of the Good News. God accepts us as we are and gives us a new status if we accept His love and mercy in faith. But this is also the slippery road that has led to the fall and ruin of many Christians. It is true that God justifies us when we have faith in Him. We do not earn our new status as God’s sons and daughters — it is purely a gift from God. If we accept this new status, then our being and our lives must be transformed, because we would be so grateful for this undeserved love and mercy that we would want to prove ourselves worthy of His love — not to earn it, since it is already given, but to show our love and gratitude for Him.
In other words, if we claim that we are justified by faith in God’s love and mercy, then we must not only believe in His forgiveness but also in all that He asks us to do. Faith means trust. We demonstrate our faith in God through the actions we take. Although Abraham was justified by faith in God’s promise, he did not sit idly waiting for things to happen. He obeyed God and moved out of Ur to the land he did not yet know. Thus, faith is not merely an intellectual or emotional acceptance of God’s grace and mercy; it must be matched by action. We must be ready to live out what has been given to us — our new adoption as God’s sons and daughters.
Indeed, whether our faith in God is mere lip service or genuine, God will reveal the sincerity of our hearts, as Jesus said, “Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Like the Pharisees, we cannot hide our hearts from the Lord. He knows whether our faith in Him is sincere or merely an external confession.
Jesus warns us that if we are not careful, and if we behave hypocritically — fearing what others might say about us and compromising our faith and values — we will be cast into hell. That is why the Lord said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” Fearing the Lord should not make us relate to God in a servile manner, as if He were waiting to punish us. Rather, fear means reverence for Him and trust in His power to save us from our enemies, especially when we are persecuted for standing up for Him. As the Lord assures us, “Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.”
Nevertheless, if we sin despite our efforts to live the Gospel life, St John assures us: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 Jn 2:1f) Being a Christian does not mean that we are perfect. Rather, we must continue to struggle to remain true to our identity as God’s children with the help of His grace. We need to persevere in Christian discipleship. And if we fail at times, Christ is always waiting to forgive us. He has given the Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that we may continually find healing and guidance in living the life of grace.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment