Most of us, as we grow up, tend to develop particular dislikes for certain behaviours or ways of action that we see in others. We sometimes call them “hobbyhorses” and they can be cause for gentle teasing among friends: – “There she goes again, off on one of her hobbyhorses!” If we know what our own ‘hobbyhorses’ are we can often use them as a way of being mildly critical of someone of something: – “I know this is one of my hobbyhorses but…..”

Less frequently a person’s ‘hobbyhorse’ can drift towards fixation, a kind of preoccupation with something we notice in others. In these circumstances criticism will become more biting or personal and anyone hearing will know it would be wise not to tease whoever is speaking.

Most ‘hobbyhorses’ can be traced to childhood experiences – a view, topic or idea we pick up from parents, or a response to something we have experienced ourselves. Bullying, poverty, hunger, etc can easily lead to ‘hobbyhorses’, like a particular concern about fairness or justice issues, or a heightened sensitivity to over-consumption or wastage.

A ‘hobbyhorse’ must not be mistaken for an ‘obsession’ which is a much deeper psychological condition where thoughts and responses are unwanted or compulsive, and unhealthily impact our lives. I say this because if I suggest that Jesus had a ‘hobbyhorse’ around what he saw as hypocrisy and ostentation, I am not for a second inferring anything other than a sensitivity towards these things and a felt need to confront them when noticed.

It is impossible to read the Gospels and not notice Jesus’ constant criticism of hypocrisy and pretention wherever he saw it. In particular, the ‘teachers of the Law’ (Scribes and Pharisees) and the Sadducees (Priests) were top of his hit list. Today’s Gospel begins with a strong criticism of the ‘teachers of the Law’. His disapproval of their actions was harsh and biting. Saying “Beware of…” or “Watch out for…”  these men, and accusing them of “…’devouring’ widows’ houses…” was guaranteed to make enemies, particularly when Pharisees were almost certainly there listening to him.

Jesus had a natural ability for ‘storytelling’ as we see in his wonderful parables and ability to relate to the environment of his hearers (farmers, the poor, sick, outcasts, etc). This same ability is used to highlight the flamboyant and arrogant behaviour of the ‘teachers of the Law’. If we remember that the Scribes and Pharisees were not just religious leaders at the time of Jesus, but also politicians, lawyers and judges, we can see just how dangerous his words were.

While saying this, it is important to note that Jesus did have Pharisees as friends and supporters. In Luke’s Gospel (13:31-33) it is a group of Pharisees who warn Jesus of a plot to kill him, while Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the ruling Council, is a friend and secret follower of Jesus. The Gospels also attest that Jesus ate with Pharisees and was welcomed as a teacher in their synagogues.

Jesus’ condemnation, then, is not of the Pharisees as a group of people or as religious leaders. His condemnation is of the actions and superficiality he often noticed in them.

In passing, I think there is a lesson there for us. Nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus ever condemn or insult an individual person, no matter what their background or social standing. Outcasts, prostitutes, tax-collectors, sinners, rich, poor, Pharisees, men, women, children, were welcomed and accepted by Jesus. Calling people to “…repent and turn away from sin” is an invitation, not a condemnation. Our world so easily and glibly writes off entire groups of people, religions, even nations, suggesting that there is nothing good or positive to be found in a single person. Jesus, in his own life and example, never did this. Nor must we!

Why then are hypocrisy and public displays of ostentation so obviously ‘hobbyhorses’ of Jesus’? Why not anger or jealousy or meanness or ambition or any of the many other sins we are capable of committing?

The answer to that question, I think, brings us back to Jesus’ understanding of the ‘Kingdom of God’, which was the focus of his Mission from the very beginning. His first public statement, after his Baptism by John, was, “Repent and believe; for the Kingdom of God is very near.” It seems that even before Jesus began his public ministry, he had developed an understanding of what he was sent to do. During the first thirty ‘silent’ years of his life we can only imagine the long hours and days he must have spent in prayer; the learning he must have done; the conversations he must have had with learned Pharisees and teachers of the Law; the times of questioning he must have endured, as well as the long periods of reflection he must have spent developing his self-understanding.

It is too easy to somehow see Jesus being born – fully mature, self-confident and aware of his Mission at the age of thirty, and forget that thirty long years of preparation – that’s 90% of his life – went by before he entered the Jordan to be baptized.

Once again, there is a lesson here for us. We should not become downhearted of feel guilty when we feel ourselves beset by doubts, questions and confusion. Our growth to and in God is not like switching on a light or changing a TV channel; it takes time, effort and will have setbacks along the way. The ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ talked about by St. John of the Cross, is a human reality shared by mystics and people of prayer through the centuries, and no doubt also experienced by Jesus. His ‘Agony in the Garden’ is surely included in the Gospels to reassure us that Jesus truly shared our doubts, fears and anxieties.

It must have been during Jesus’ long years of preparation for his public ministry that he came to realise that hypocrisy and conceit are incompatible with the Kingdom of God.

Above all else membership of the Kingdom of God demands that we be nothing more, or less, than the people God created us to be. We are made in “God’s image and likeness” and therefore imbued with a wonder and dignity beyond anything we can imagine. If we could only see ourselves through the eyes of God we would be embarrassed and ashamed by our shows of self-importance, smugness, superiority and pride. Why? Because all they do is demean and hide the beauty that is already there.

True humility is not putting ourselves down or debasing ourselves, as we are frequently brought up to believe. True humility is recognising that we are ‘beloved of God’, ‘God’s children’, and ‘coheirs to eternal life’. To stand before God and one another just as we are, acknowledging our weaknesses and sins honestly and seeking to undo the hurt they cause, is all that God asks of us.

This, I think, is what it means to be “poor in spirit” – the first of the Beatitudes. Learning to stand before God, accepting that we are not perfect, but knowing deep within ourselves that we are still loved, is difficult. We all, in some ways, seek to be Gods; to be all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, always right, always strong, always in control. The trouble is that this is impossible because there is only one God, and it is not me!!!!

Until we are able to accept this we can never be part of the ‘Kingdom of God’. The name itself explains why. It is the Kingdom of God and not the Kingdom of me!

Hypocrisy, pretending to be who we are not, always needing to feel better than others, can only lead to unhappiness and a deep feeling of emptiness. We can never be part of the Kingdom of God until we accept ourselves as we are in God’s eyes – ‘wonder-full’, ‘beauty-full’, loved.

Jesus knew this. He recognised that the Kingdom of God that was coming into the world, could only be welcomed by the ‘poor in spirit’ – those who accepted themselves as weak and sinful, but knew they were still loved and dignified.

His call for us to ‘beware of hypocrisy’ and ‘showiness’ is rightfully a ‘hobbyhorse’ of Jesus. He returns to it again and again, each time pleading for us to listen to what he says.

The second part of this week’s Gospel seems to stand in stark contrast to the first part. Jesus’ harshness towards the Pharisees and the hypocrites is contrasted with the deep gentleness and sensitivity with which he speaks of the ‘poor widow’.

Is Jesus lauding material poverty? Of course not. In and of itself there is nothing virtuous in being poor or hungry or homeless.  What he is showing, I think, is that there is no pretence in those who are ‘poor’.  If I am poor or hungry or homeless or starving, there is no room in me for hypocrisy or thinking myself better than others. My poverty strips me of any need for hypocrisy. I have no choice but to be who I truly am because everything else has been taken from me. I stand or sit on the pavements of our cities with a hand-written sign saying, “hungry and homeless. Please help.” not because I want to do so, but because there is nothing else that I can do.

The poor widow pointed to by Jesus is such a person. She is left with nothing but her dignity and her continued trust in God. The two small, almost worthless coins she gives, are offered without fanfare or applause. In the eyes of everyone except Jesus what she does goes unnoticed and is ignored.

But for Jesus it is not what she gives that is important, but who she is. She is poor but has retained her dignity. She has not given up, or become bitter or angry. She gives what she can give – not to be seen or thanked or rewarded, but simply because her poverty has not taken away her generosity of spirit, or her trust in God.

She stands before God just as she is, poor, widowed, with no fine clothes or jewellery. Nobody sees her make her offering, nobody cares or thanks her. But Jesus sees, and cares and recognises her greatness and her wonder.

It is, I think, easier for a poor person to be authentic and without pretence. When a person has little or nothing there is no need to pretend to be anything other than they are. And it is, I think, easier for a poor person to trust and be generous. They have nothing that anybody else wants and they have nothing to lose by trusting and sharing.

The call of this Gospel is not to be poor or have nothing. The call is to be authentic human beings; happy with who we are, knowing that that is enough.

And just as Jesus noticed the poor widow and recognised her dignity and generosity, we are called to see through the pretence and hypocrisy all around us, always trying to see others as God sees them.

Many thanks,

Brian.

If you have any comments, questions or thoughts on this scripture reflection, please feel welcome to email me at b.maher@oblates.ie

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