“They’re Hypocrites and Usually They are not only Hypocrites but Heretics.”
By Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Standing on My Head:
The attack on hypocrites in religion typically focuses on the uptight, self righteous conservative Catholic who judges others while they themselves are guilty of the same sin.
You know the schtick: “Mildred is always saying what terrible sinners young people are for sleeping around, but it turns out she’s been having sex with her neighbor’s husband!”
or “Those Catholics are such hypocrites. They’re always talking about helping the poor, but they’re sitting pretty in their big houses and driving their posh cars.”
The first thing to observe is that every Christian is a hypocrite to a certain extent simply because we uphold a moral standard that is impossible to achieve until we have become saints. In other words, we fail. We stumble and fall. Furthermore, we cover up our failures and we hide our shame.
So we’re all hypocrites. My hand is up. I’m a hypocrite. You’re a hypocrite. If we are not yet saints, then we are still a work in progress and we must admit that we stand for a heroic standard of behavior that we are still trying to attain.
What nobody ever talks about, however, are the particularly Catholic form of hypocrites which are paraded in front of us all the time with absolutely no shame. In fact these hypocrites wear their lying, two faced hypocrisy on their sleeve and seem to be proud of it.
I’m talking about liberal Catholics who think it’s smart to be “cafeteria Catholics”.
Politicianslike Nancy Pelosi who hold their head high and brag about being “devout Catholics” while they support Planned Parenthood are the most blatant hypocrites imaginable, but who calls them on it?
Joe Biden flashes that fake smile of his and assumes his mock sincerity and talks in hushed tones about his “deep Catholic faith” while supporting same sex “marriage”? The two faced, lying hypocrite! That’s not what the Catholic Church teaches and furthermore, he knows it and still wears his Catholic hypocrisy on his sleeve like some sort of badge.
Instead the establishment figures like too many of our bishops smile and ingratiate themselves with these people of power. If they wear their Catholic hypocrisy in public they should be called on it in public. Their pastors should speak out publicly and correct their lying hypocrisy and call it what it is and say, “Nobody likes a hypocrite and I’m sorry Ms. Pelosi, but I need to correct your understanding of Catholicism. You can’t make up your own version of our faith.”
I’m not done. The same snakes are in the field of journalism.
On various websites and papers “Catholic” writers discuss “spirituality” in reverent tones and say how much they love the church while they support abortion, same sex marriage, women’s ordination and the whole progressive agenda. They’re hypocrites. As Pope Francis has pointed out, a Cafeteria Catholic is not a Catholic. They say they believe one thing–the Catholic faith–but they publicly and formally renounce the Catholic Church’s teachings and they think they’re just fine in doing so.
It gets worse. The real snakes in the grass are the liberal hypocritical priests and bishops. You know there’s a sort of media darling priest who smiles and writes clever books and goes on TV to give seemingly sage spiritual advice who then turns around and supports the LGBT agenda.
Only these priests are cagey. They know how the church works. They pose their points as “compassionate questions” and “observations” They are very smart and know how to walk the tightrope–never going too far, but all the time undermining true Catholic teaching with their talk about “listening” and “dialogue” and “acceptance” and “accompanying”.
They’re hypocrites, and the worst kind of hypocrites because they assume the outward form of being good, faithful and true Catholics better than anybody else.
They’re not true and they’re not faithful. They’re wolves in shepherd’s clothing and Our Lord spoke clearly about the rustler who comes in to the sheepfold to rob and kill.
It’s time to blow the whistle on these hypocrites and call them what they are.
But do you know what will happen if you do?
They’ll play the passive aggressive game. If you blow the whistle and declare that the emperor is naked they’ll come over all offended and hurt.
They’ll put out their bottom lip and assume the spanked puppy dog look and say, “How could you be sooo judgmental and harsh? How could you be so unaccepting?”
They’ll sneak back in with their serpentine smiles and say, “Come, let’s be friends! Let’s forgive one another! Let’s talk. We need to listen to one another more!” Which means “You listen to me. I’m going to filibuster this debate until you give in. I’m going to talk and talk and use false logic and human reasoning and emotional blackmail and spiritual bullying until I wear you down and you change your mind.”
Don’t be taken in by them. They’re hypocrites and usually they are not only hypocrites but heretics. They divide and destroy Christ’s church and imperil souls.
Here endeth the rant.