Religious Leadership

Does a Christian understand himself to be a religious leader? If so, he would take immediate recourse to the works of mercy since he would understand that his entrance into bliss will be determined both by his fulfillment of them and his instructing others in the same.

Anything short of this is poisonous to the people—leaven to beware of.

The hypocrisy of the Pharisees prevents it.

Hypocrisy is play-acting, a falsehood. That defect can surface in several ways. But in the end—it’s a falsehood, a deception. This lie will send the Christian’s endeavor into a tailspin very quickly.

To promote an act of religion while committing an act of irreligion is corrosive of the soul in the highest degree.

It will be good to understand why Our Lord is so adamantly opposed to this sin in the pharisees. Why does it draw his unflinching wrath?

Sure, there’s “fake it till you make it.” That’s not the problem. The problem is connected with scandal.  It’s also connected with the role the Church is to play in shining the light of Christ to the nations. He’s counting on the Church’s fidelity to that all the members of the body can enter in. The role of the Church in the world is a corollary to the role of the hierarchy in the Church, as well as that of the apostles in the hierarchy and of Christ among the apostles and of the Father in sending the Son.

Let’s develop this.

Clergy

If Our Lord is so harsh wish the chief priests, scribes, elders, Sadducees and Pharisees, that is, with the hierarchy of those who are under the Old Law, how much greater will his expectation be for those responsible for instructing the people under the New Law?

I don’t see how those of us who know better can have any other response than to redouble our efforts in the apostolic work of the Church.

He holds them to account and warns them they will have a harsher judgment. We, knowing this, don’t suppose he’d ever talk to us that way.

It’s not that he’s not merciful. Of course he is. He displays that in abundance with his miracles healing the sick and forgiving sinners. And ultimately with the display of the fullest measure of his loving devotion to his father’s plan for man’s forgiveness. He is merciful. Perfectly. But who will tell them of his mercy? Or worse, will we, who know of his mercy, withdraw the news of it leaving those entrusted to us to figure it out on their own?

What is his harshness to the clergy other than a warning to you and me of what we can expect for our disregard for those whose souls he gave us to watch over and to care for. 

You chose dishonor

Sights, for the moment, are set on “Render unto Caesar.”

Let’s calibrate.

He’s addressing the Pharisees as a part of the final showdown ahead of his passion. They and the Sadducees try trap him.

The Religious leadership is corrupt. Jesus speaks harshly to them because speaking words of comfort to them will have no avail and only prove his teaching to be easily dismissible. That’s not the case when a popular religious teacher whom many regard as a prophet directly rebukes you and your colleagues in-charge as deserving the most serious punishment for failing in the responsibility entrusted to them.

They are fearful of the crowds. They attribute their fear of the crowds to their fear of the Romans who will suppress any uprising with their total destruction. They’re fearful all around. But, in the end, they forget to fear the only one whom the must fear, the Lord.  As a result they will lose everything.

It’s like Churchill’s famous judgment of Chamberlin, “You chose dishonor and you will have war.”

JC is a partisan.

He’s a partisan. But not like you and me. We get bought and sold. He remains faithful to the mission, to the end.

He won’t be distracted by what distracts us. We’re worried about earthly possessions. He’s worried about our eternity. We’re inhibiting the mission through our self concern. He treats us as an enemy for the sake of the rest who’s eternity we’re jeopardizing.