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Hypocrisy makes Jesus as angry as he ever gets (Matt 23:1-12). Strangely, those ancient scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders, poncing around as gatekeepers rather than a welcoming committee for the poor, blind, lame and unwashed multitudes, have much in common with the modern world.
We recognize such figures in our own time. People who make an art form out of looking good rather than doing good. The arrogant bureaucrat who hounds a lowly applicant because she can; the apparently devout person who wants those less pious to see how deficient they are. Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of laying expectations and regulations on strugglers instead of lightening their burden. That is not his way at all!
He has this to say about them, “Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt 23:12). Such self-promotion reveals deep insecurity, an inner sense of inferiority, leading some to “big note” themselves to create a façade of their own importance.
Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel speak down the ages to us, not only about leaders, religious or civic, but among those who should be wisely leading intimate social groups and especially families.
Hoping nobody outside the family takes notice, these hypocrites deny the precious dignity and equality of wives or partners and children so they can feel dominant and in control.(1).jpg)
Our society, even our Church and our parishes often protected such hypocrites in the past with notions such as, “it’s none of our business” and “what happens in the home stays in the home.” Such sentiments made it easier all around to pretend not to witness the persecution of women and children by abusing men. No one was made to feel uncomfortable (except of course those being abused). No more!
As Jesus calls out the scribes and pharisees for their hypocrisy, so the Church is calling out hypocrisy in the area of domestic and family violence. We do recognise that this is a systemic and social problem which goes beyond the perpetrators to the whole community. Perpetrators are members of our communities too, who our society has allowed to grow up thinking violent dominance over their loved ones is ok.
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Pope Francis, in his 2016 exhortation, The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia), acknowledges that domestic violence exists in families in our Church and our parishes, and declares that it is not something we can turn a blind eye to.
2022 – 23 Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice statement reminds us that the roots of domestic and family violence “lie in the abuse of power to control and dominate others” and that “this stands in contrast to the relationships to which God calls us”.
The Church authoritatively tells us the time for looking the other way was a past error. And so was the time for not knowing. Uncomfortable though it might be, we are called to look, take notice, learn, and respond.
Our parish community can help alleviate these wrongs. Parish faith communities such as our own are an important setting through which to reach and engage people with education about family violence and prevention messages, and to connect women experiencing violence with appropriate supports.
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