Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, August 31, 2000
“The mask of hypocrisy”
A reflection on the 22nd
Sunday in Ordinary
Time
By Stephen Wilson
hat happens when we lose our masks? Or
worse yet, what happens when someone
else takes our mask off revealing our true self,
and we stand there exposed for the entire world
to see?
This is what Jesus does in this week’s Gospel.
He removes the masks of the Scribes and the
Pharisees and forces them to show who and
what they really are. But did Jesus revile them
for wearing masks, or was it their perceived
importance in the masks that Jesus criticizes?
Children love to pretend that they are some
thing they are not. They dress up in towels and
bathrobes and pretend to be shepherds or super
heroes. They borrow dresses that are far too big
and are transformed into princesses. They wear
costumes with scary masks and on Halloween
morph into ghosts, goblins and witches. It is part
of childhood, and a preparation for adulthood.
As adults we continue to pretend and wear our
masks, but they are usually more subtle and
often subconscious. We use them to present an
image of ourselves to the outside world. Often
this mask is placed here by society, and the
mask I wear can change depending upon the role
I am playing at the time. Now I am a teacher,
then a husband, suddenly I’m buying a car. Each
role demands a different mask, a different face
thatl show to the outside world. But who is the
real me?
In the gospel for this Sunday Jesus discusses
masks and the importance of recognizing these
masks in our lives and using them appropriately.
When confronted by the Pharisees and the
Scribes, Jesus responds by calling them “hyp
ocrites.” We have come to understand the word
hypocrite to mean a person who says one thing
and does just the opposite and therefore cannot
by trusted. The root of the word is similar.
The word “hypocrite” comes to us from the
Greek theater. A hypocrite was an actor who put
on a mask and pretended to be something he was
not. Actors used masks to deceive (in a positive
The word “hypocrite”
comes to us
from the Greek theater.
A hypocrite was an actor
who put on a mask
and pretended to be
something he was not.
sense) the audience, so that the audience would
believe the actors were something other than
what they truly were.
Jesus directs the term “hypocrite” at his
learned opponents in regard to the twisting of
the Jewish Law. For they wear the Law as a
mask, but underneath, in their hearts, they are
corrupt. The Law becomes a mask behind which
they can hide and protect themselves from the
uncertainty of the world, but also from God.
But God knows who we truly are. God sees
beyond all our masks, and the beauty of this
entire mystery is that God loves us despite and
even without our masks.
We, however, try to hide from God. We place
before God the person we think God expects and
not “the real me.”
One of the wonderful aspects of the Psalms is
that they cut through our hiding. The Psalms
contain almost any emotion you can imagine:
joy, sorrow, love, hate, revenge, jealousy, and
awe. The authors of the Psalms recognized the
wonder that God accepts us just as we are, so
approach God with the prayer that fits your
mood today. If you are mourning, don’t pretend
to be joyful. Share your grief with God, and God
will grieve with you.
The Jewish leaders tried to keep God and the
love of God within the confines of the Law.
They hid behind the Law as a mask keeping God
at a safe distance. Jesus broke through the per
ceived separation. God becomes man. Human
and divine are joined. God is not distant. God
dwells with us here on earth.
Masks are not a bad thing; they have their
place in our lives, but they can get in the way. It
is when a mask interferes with our relationships
that we must reevaluate, and possibly dispose of,
the mask. Our primary relationship is with God,
and with God we must be honest because God
sees us as we truly are, and loves us anyway. So
ask yourself: What mask do I bring to the altar,
and am I willing to leave it behind and truly see
God face to face?
Stephen Wilson teaches religion at
Pacelli High School, Columbus.
Letters
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA 31401-5196
Thanks
Dear Editor:
I want to thank the people of the
Diocese of Savannah for their con
tribution to the Operation Rice
Bowl. Our collection was
$16,490.23. Twenty-five percent
will remain in our Diocese to fight
hunger. The United States
Department of Agriculture deter
mined that 6.1 million adults and
3.3 million children live in house
holds that experienced hunger dur
ing 1998. It is good to know that
we here in south Georgia are
doing our part to respond to the
needs of our sisters and brothers.
The Hunger Relief Act of 1999
(SI805 / HR3192) is another
opportunity to address the issue of
hunger. This bill would authorize
$2.5 billion in spending over 5
years to repair specific weaknesses
in the current Food Stamp
Program. Specifically it would
make more money available for
emergency food assistance pro
grams like food banks and our
social service sites in Albany,
August, Savannah and Warner
Robins. A letter to your represen
tative and our senators regarding
the importance of this bill would
raise the hunger issue to their
awareness. If you need informa
tion on this legislation or on the
Operation Rice Bowl Program,
please call or write to me at the
Pastoral Center in Savannah.
Thanks for your generosity.
Jackie Griffith, SSJ
Diocesan Director
Catholic Social Services
Savannah
•***
Both kinds
Dear Editor:
The Question/Answer in the 24
August 2000 issue of The
Southern Cross relating to Celiac-
Sprue disease reminded me of an
encounter I had with an individual
following the funeral mass for
Sister Comile Dulohery at Saint
Frances Cabrini Church in
Savannah.
As we were leaving the church,
this individual approached me to
express her gratitude— which I
pass on to Father [Francis J.]
Nelson and Saint Frances Cabrini
Parish—that communion had been
offered under both forms. This
person, who has Celiac-Sprue dis
ease, noted that at many of the
funerals in the Savannah area,
communion is offered under one
form only. Unable to digest the
glutin in the host, this person,
therefore, cannot receive
Communion. This individual was
so very grateful that at Sister
Comile’s funeral communion was
under both forms, making it possi
ble for this person to receive com
munion.
I believe this should be an
encouragement to all pastors to
FAX: (912) 238-2339
E-mail: DClark5735@aol.com
make communion under both
forms available at all celebrations
of the Eucharist. It takes just a lit
tle more planning to make sure
that extraordinary ministers of
Communion are lined up for a
funeral Mass in the event that not
enough ordinary ministers of the
Eucharist—priests and deacons—
are present. I have made this a
part of the planning I do with fam
ilies as we make choices of read
ings, music, readers, servers, gift
bearers, and other aspects of the
funeral liturgies and it always
works out fine.
As permission (and even encour
agement) for offering Communion
under both kinds is given, no one
should be unable to receive
Communion at Mass because he
or she suffers from Celiac-Sprue
disease.
Father Michael J. Kavanaugh
Port Wentworth
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