Page 73 - Reflexions of African Bishops and Priests

is to wash their
hearts, to cleanse their
interior. This is what must
be made pure, this is
what must be taken care
of. Our Lord then goes on
to say to them, “Rightly
did Isaiah prophesy of
you hypocrites, as it is
written, “This people
honors Me with their
lips, but their heart is far
away from Me...”
When we follow
closely what always
seems to take place be-
tween Jesus and the
Scribes and Pharisees,
we begin to notice that
it always comes back to
the same thing: He re-
proaches them for their
“falseness”, their lack of
Truth...Jesus can NEVER
support what is not true
for He is the Way, the "Why don't your disciples wash their hands before they eat? Thus they
Truth, and the Life. The break the tradition of the elders!" (cf. Mk 7:5.) Painting: “The Pharisees ques-
truth can NOT support tion Jesus”, by James Tissot (1836-1902), Brooklyn Museum.
lies.
This is why Jesus is not afraid to tell the Pharisees sinker, like a famished fish.
that they are hypocrites...and did you know that even My dear brothers and sisters, remember that the
today, to be called a Pharisee is not a noble thing, that first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI was Deus Caritas
it is an insult? A Pharisee was not of itself a bad thing Est, God is love. It was very quickly followed by his
in the religious tradition of a Pharisee, they were well next encyclical: Caritas in Veritate, Charity in Truth.
respected men and considered honorable. But since This is because, so often we perform acts which we
Jesus’ day a Pharisee has become synonymous with believe to be charitable, but is it truly in charity and
“Hypocrite”, “For from within, out of the heart of in truth that these actions are performed. More often
men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, than not these actions are done in “falseness”, in a
murders, adulteries”, ...and Jesus goes on to rebuke hypocritical way; yet we see differently.

them... You have not forgotten what we are still living now
Dear brothers and sisters, this message (in Africa). The huge campaign that was launched for
that the Lord brings to us today in this Gospel, the promotion of condoms: “The world is threatened
should make us reflect, in more ways than one. by the AIDS epidemic, we need to save the world!
When we think about all that we have learned The miracle solution is condoms!” Even Pope Ben-
this week we can make a comparison, realizing edict XVI was dragged into this, and he dared to speak
that the Pharisees of our day are the Bankers! out in opposition, (in March 2011, at the time of his
They are truly Pharisees, presenting to us trip to Cameroon and Angola) and we all know what
schemes that appear pleasant and fantastic. They that cost him: a propaganda which broke out against
him. There was even the Belgian Deputy Prime Minis-
give the illusion of bringing “life”, lending money ter who asked that the Pope be brought to justice. Mil-
so that great projects can be realized, so that so lions of dollars were poured out to promote condoms,
many good things can be accomplished, but what but we know very well that this was not done in order
most don’t know is that, behind that money, it is to save lives. No, what really counts for them is to sell
death that awaits, not life. You will not be able to their product…
repay, you will be buried in debt, you will begin Today, when we look at the new Pharisees of mod-
to die of hunger. Behind that money they will al- ern times, seeing all that they dish out, considering
ways be saying, “This is good what we are doing the example of the Congo, it can be thought that they
for you.” And you will be caught, hook, line and u

www.michaeljournal.org 2012 session 73