After finishing The Red and the Black by Stendhal, I would describe it with two words: comic hypocrisy.
The “hero”, Julien Soriel, prances about 1800s France pretending to be some kind of military general in his mind. His goal is power and status in French society. His methods are the clergy and hypocrisy.
While several plot points in The Red and the Black are specific to this time period in French history, having just ended the Napoleonic wars and entering the restoration, its themes can be seen today. Our modern Church is starting to discover and put into light many things that are unpleasant and we are learning that the clergy has been used to disguise evil intentions many times. This is not new and is unlikely to go away.
I find it odd that even as our culture gets more and more secular, there is still a sense on the individual level that “religious” people are trying to be “good” and can be trusted. While the media will portray the church as “unwelcoming” or even bigoted, people still expect priests to be good.
These associations don’t even have to be for priests and clergy, but for anyone who makes a public connection to their faith.
While speculating the intentions of others is well beyond my sphere of control or influence – belonging to God and the individual – I can reflect on my own life.
Intentional or not, where in my life have I used the Church to my advantage in secular society, coming off as a “good guy” because I go to mass?
How have I sought out praises or gained trust more than deserved because people knew me to be involved with the church?
Where have I not lived up to the faith that I claim to love? Where can I better tune my actions to my beliefs?
If I can’t grow in these areas, is there a deeper theological issue of understanding I need to deal with? Because I believe if I truly understood the magnitude of the Catholic Faith, out of love and awe, I would desire to live a life of utmost integrity, not for my sake, but for the sake of the Gospel.
At the same time, everyone must have some level of hypocrisy in them. Otherwise, the woman caught in adultery would not have been able to walk away after Jesus said “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
How do we balance this desire to be a whole and integrated person without being too harsh on ourselves when (not if) we fail to live up to perfect standards? The answer is forgiveness and reconciliation. I have long felt that “I forgive you” are the most important of the least appreciated words along with “I forgive myself” and “God forgive me.”
It is often said, “it’s funny because it’s true.” Seeing Julien’s comical duplicity allows me to reflect deeper because it is so exaggerated to be unrealistic and make a great story; however the truth is that we all find ourselves acting a little bit from time to time. When meeting new people, we have an image in our head of who we want to be, or appear to be. How can we make this image more consistent with who we really are?
As I revisit this post months after drafting, I wanted to add additional reflection on recent events.
This past week, Pope Benedict XVI passed away. His funeral was this morning, 1/5/23.
It amazes me that someone who was so wise and eloquent would also be so humble.
Pope Benedict XVI gave the church counsel in the drafting of the Catechism and many other important documents. He also studied, reflected, and wrote three volumes of scripture study solely about Jesus and who He is! (Note: I should add them to my reading list)
At the same time, this man also wrote this about his own end of life hopes:
“I ask for forgiveness from the bottom of my heart from all those whom I have wronged in some way.”
And this about the Church:
“I have seen, and see, how, out of the tangle of hypotheses, the reasonableness of faith has emerged and is emerging anew. Jesus Christ is truly the Way, the Truth, and the Life – and the Church, in all her shortcomings, is truly His Body.”
And finally:
“I humbly ask: pray for me, so that the Lord may admit me to the eternal dwellings, despite all my sins and shortcomings. For all those entrusted to me, my heartfelt prayer goes out day after day.
Benedictus PP XVI.”
https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/elezione/documents/testamento-spirituale-bxvi.html
While we all fall short, and the Church falls short, we pray for forgiveness. Because we will be forgiven to the extent that we forgive (See the Our Father).
Let’s take the lesson that if a Holy Pope seeks forgiveness, that I should too.
God forgive me. Amen.