Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(Galatians 2: 1-2.12-17; Luke 11:1-4)
The word hypocrisy
comes from a Greek word meaning to play a
part or to pretend. Hypocrites evidently were originally
actors. In modern parlance hypocrites
pretend to be virtuous when they actually are the opposite. They attempt to deceive. So when Paul accuses Peter of hypocrisy in
today’s reading from Galatians, he is leveling a serious charge.
Peter is caught in the bind between following Jewish custom
and living in Christ. Being a Jew, Peter
grew up eating kosher. But faith in
Jesus means that following his ways of sacrificial love, and not a particular
diet, brings salvation. Peter had shown reliance
on Christ by taking food freely with non-Jews.
But now in the presence of Jewish Christians he pretends that he would
never do such a thing. This behavior
sends a mixed message which, Paul knows, will confuse non-Jews. In Paul’s view the
mixed message has brought some Galatians to submit to circumcision rather than to
concentrate on following Jesus.
Diametrically different from Peter’s hypocrisy, we likely exhibit
the vice by covering up our religiosity.
Catholics who miss Mass on Sundays in order to attend a football game betray
their commitment to the Church. They
want to be known as both lovers of God and of the world. There may be some overlap, but we cannot
square a circle. We must not conform to
the world but encourage the world to convert to God.
