Parable 14 - Hypocrite

There was a father named Frank who deeply loved his adopted daughter, Patricia.

Her mother, Teresa, also loved her daughter and hoped she would one day become a fine young lady.

Frank and Teresa’s only child was Patricia, and they wanted the best for her.

Neither of the parents had more than a high school diploma.

But from the day Patricia was born, her parents started saving so she could one day go to college.

Her parents told her that she always had to pay attention to at least four things:

Go to church every Sunday.

Do your homework daily.

Be good to people. Don’t talk behind their backs.

And never drink and drive!

Throughout high school, Patricia’s grades were good. She was well liked and had lots of friends. She didn’t drink. But Patricia was getting tired of church. “They are all a bunch of hypocrites. They read about Jesus telling them to be kind and merciful, but then they hate immigrants. They seem to forget Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were immigrants.”

Her father replied, “Now don’t get all high and mighty. We go to church to connect with God, not to judge other people.”

Even though she didn’t like it, Patricia kept going to Mass, but she started noticing other things that bothered her, especially about her parents. One night it all exploded as Patricia shouted, “You tell me not to drink, but you fix yourselves martinis and drink in the car as you ride to your friend’s house. You tell me to keep up on my schoolwork, but, Dad, you haven’t painted the garage like you told Mom you were going to do. And, Mom, you go to church and then gossip after Mass with all the other women, talking about the latest scandal in the neighborhood. Why should I listen to anything either of you tell me?”

Teresa’s face flushed red. “Because we are your parents!”

Frank clenched his jaw. “You are to do what we say, not what we do!”

“What does that even mean? Why should I listen to you when you don’t do what you tell me to do? I’m sick of it. I’m not listening to you anymore!” And with that, Patricia screamed and stormed out of the house.

Meditation

It took years to repair that relationship. But it was repaired because this family loved each other to the core. They had to work through the challenges they faced. Perhaps your own family has encountered similar challenges.

In our Scripture today, Jesus is talking about the scribes and Pharisees. They instruct a strict way of following the laws, but they are really seeking honor and prestige. Notice, though, that Jesus tells us to listen to them and do the things they instruct.

In our story today, we can see the wisdom being offered.

Everything the father is insisting that his daughter do is of great value.

What parent doesn’t want their child to succeed?

As a young person, it is certainly good to keep away from alcohol, be kind to others, keep up with schoolwork, and go to church. But when someone tells you to do something that they don’t do themselves, that is a hard pill to swallow.

If we take a merciful perspective, we see that everyone is flawed. People who give us the best advice are often wounded and can’t follow what they themselves know is best. And the same is true of each of us. So let’s pray for the grace to stop judging others. It takes listening and discernment to hear what God is instructing us to do. The good news is that God’s instructions for success are never hypocritical.

Imagine Jesus saying to you and to me, “Do as I say, and as I do!”

Water the seed and ask yourself...

What advice do I need to follow?