Imagine this- a war is raging on a battlefield in some foreign land. Instead of using conventional weaponry, however, it has been so decided amongst the most elite thinkers of men that using one’s mouth shall be the most select and meritorious method of fighting. It is determined that the side that hurls the most insulting things and puts the other side down the most wins. Thus the battles go- with ravenous shouting and screaming so loud that it can be heard for miles and for a length of days.
Absurd Idea? Absolutely. What am I getting at here?
It is this: one of the heaviest criticisms that is often thrown at Christianity today, let alone Catholicism, is that it is hypocritical- meaning its members know Christ’s teachings, and yet either use them to their own illicit gain, or they disregard them altogether and “punch their own ticket” so to speak in picking what they want to believe. To be honest, it seems to be more than evident that there is a legitimate grievance to be held here. Example one- some claim to uphold the dignity of the human person (whether in an immigrant, unborn, elderly… any person at all) all the while becoming involved in political badmouthing and social media disagreement and outrage. Two primary ways of this are either simply criticizing a certain political figure ad nausium, or simply taking part in ad hominem arguments against anyone else, simply because their viewpoint is different from yours. Another example- going to Church, yet losing your temper when Mass is over an hour long and there is a traffic jam outside of church.
If I dare to say so, there has been a large rash of outrageous and uncharitable ugliness taking place on many social media platforms as of late. One can really look upon their newsfeed with sorrow and distaste; it seems that hypocrisy has become a very valid concern for both Christians and non-Christians alike. Brothers and sisters, let’s carefully note one thing for each one of us- none of us have it “all figured out.” None of us is above our brothers and sisters. None of us have become the “guru of goodness.” None of us have reached the moral perfection of our Lord and Savior, let alone come close to being able to hold but a momentary spark to it. None of us have the right to criticize another for the hope of making ourselves seem better by comparison.
Each of us, in fact, are fallen. I’d think we each know that and can speak to the truth of that. Each of us need God in our lives, whether we like to admit it or not. Each of us are struggling to always keep Christ in our midst- and that is something that should offer an element of solidarity. If we use Christ as a ladder to remove ourselves from the rest of our brothers and sisters in Christ- haven’t we missed the point? If Christ is merely a way to put ourselves above reproach- haven’t we actually fallen further than before? Haven’t we turned Christ, who is our ladder out of sinfulness into a shovel- to bury others?
We all need a Savior- no matter who we are. This should really influence all that we do- so that we are not hypocritical but are realistic of our own weaknesses and are actually striving to come closer to God through them. This even feeds into how we use our social media- we don’t have to prove the villainy of our enemies. The challenge is loving them and calling others to do the same. The ultimate challenge is loving them as our neighbor. It is extremely easy to criticize others. It may be harder to beg forgiveness from our Father for others and remind ourselves that we too are in need of mercy, even moreso when we judge others. It is easy to throw around things against others in a war of words- but it is harder to find the truth in the midst of all- and that is the only place that we will find God, even in the midst of our trials and difficulties. Let us refuse to be a part of a negative sea of accusation, hypocrisy, sin and sorrow. Let us rather lead by example, begging God for forgiveness- and perhaps others will follow suit when they see that we are practicing what we preach. This will never be achieved by pointing out the flaws of others, but only by pointing each other towards Christ in some way and giving each other a boost to see Christ more clearly through our actions.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector…”
“I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
-Luke 18:10,14
A Priest's Journey 
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