Lent, Sin and Hypocrisy

I think that this Blog should maybe be re-titled From the Treadmill. I am enjoying how dots connect in my head when I am under the headphones at the gym listening to audiobooks or talks of one kind or another. But no, we will stick with the Orchard image which captures what this is supposed to be: Reflective thoughts in an environment of growth. The orchard referred to, by the way, is the (former) apple orchard at Ignatius Spirituality Centre in Guelph, that reflected my many retreat experiences.

The world we live in in 2020 seems to be quite a bit different than it was in the early retreat days in 1992. Politics worldwide has been characterized by increasingly deep angry divisions. And sadly, if we turn to our faith/church environment for direction or reassurance, we find ourselves knee-deep in disappointment and cynicism, with abuse scandals and, in the Catholic context, pockets of resistance to Pope Francis, all the way up to bishops and cardinals.

Psychologist Gordon Neufeld has a great term for the emotional response in children when they run into a deeply disappointing, hurtful relationship experience that they cannot control. The term is 'defensive detachment.' You will hear a child say, 'I don't even care.' Or, 'I didn't like that person anyway.' The person in question might be a parent who has left the home, or failed again to show up for a scheduled event. The child is desperately trying to protect themselves from the deep pain caused by someone who is so important to them. In the adult world, in the context I am referring to, defensive detachment may involve wiping one's hands of the whole thing. 'Who cares anyway?' It hurts too much to keep investing in this. The church is bleeding membership, and this figures prominently in the phenomenon.

Which brings us to the topic: Lent, sin, and hypocrisy. The question has been playing around in my head for a while as to whether sin and hypocrisy are the same thing. Some of the messiness of our present era makes that an urgent question. Here is the problem: we are a broken people, we simply do not get it right all the time, no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we wish we could. We hurt each other, we hurt the world around us, and we do damage to ourselves. We have been created with an invitation to come to the home our God has prepared for us. We were also created with the freedom to turn down that invitation, and we do just that every day. We call it sin.. Fortunately our Creator God gave us a second chance in the person of his Son, who stood in for us on the Cross, with all our turn downs. His Resurrection then sealed the victory over what would otherwise be our permanent alienation. We get to reset the relationship. The season of Lent is designed to put us in the emotional and spiritual space where we freely and fully embrace doing just that.

Anyone who is a sinner (all of us) and seeks the forgiveness and reconciliation won on the Cross, far from being a hypocrite, has actually embraced the relationship with Jesus and all he is for us.

That includes those who preach the word of God. No-one escapes the title ‘sinner.’ But it does not include, I think, those who preach the word of God with no investment in how that word should impact their own lives. Who talk one way and live entirely another. That's a hypocrite. I shudder at times with that one and haven’t liked what I see in the mirror.

It also does not include, I think, those of us who say we believe all Jesus stands for. But only in theory. And so have no problem with turning down the invitation. And more importantly, have no investment in Lent.

For those who live in a defensive detachment relationship with our God, with Jesus, with the church, I am certain Jesus has a special place for them/ us in his heart. And all of us need to pray for the healing that is crying out to happen there. Above all we need to be instruments of encouragement by witnessing what Jesus taught - a life of love, forgiveness, welcoming, support, and compassion.      

We will still need Lent because we will never get even that right all the time.

And we need to acknowledge off the top that we cannot do it on our own power. Therese of Lisieux had the answer that most resonates with me: her 'little way.' She went so far as to say that her imperfections had the great benefit of reminding her of her dependence on the Lord (‘littleness’), and of her need to be grateful for all she had been given. The 'little way' was all about opening up to the great power of God's love.

I suppose that too is what Lent is about. A 40 day period in which we can just enter into the great love that will always encourage us to keep going even when we fall on our head, even when we turn down the great invitation. Sin is in there, but not hypocrisy.

Our own Bishop Mulhall recently sent out a very thoughtful Lenten message. In it he quoted St. Paul and said the following: “”See, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of our salvation.” These words… (lead) us into the interior truth of ourselves, our weak and sinful condition. The silence of personal prayer is the place where we encounter Christ. In his merciful care, he will carry us to the deep meaning of his death and resurrection at our Easter celebration."

“....interior truth of ourselves....” I like that. It is where we will find the difference between sinner and hypocrite; and where we will be shown the way to Easter.

Have a wonderful Lenten experience.