Padre Pio, the famous Capuchin Stigmatic, in an interview with William M. Carrigan in 1945 said:
“HYPOCRISY IS THE GREATEST EVIL OF OUR TIME. It exists in all levels of our society, in high places and in low places.”
Padre Pio had no claim to scholarship, but his deep wisdom concerning the spiritual welfare of man flowed through his life and works, and touched all who came into his sphere.
Hypocrisy In Our Day…
We are all familiar with hypocrisy in Politics – in Education – in the Courts – in Medicine – in Advertising – in Religion. We see it constantly in the Media. TV Newspapers – and Magazines as well as Radio and Theatre – all find it good stock in trade.
Few of them will pass up the use of half truths – prejudices – slanted reporting – calumny – detraction – mythical argument – distortion of facts – falsifications – pretense of virtue while supporting vice – glorification of violence….if they add to the saleability of their stocks in trade. These hypocritical forms are found constantly in the media. So common are they that they have been acceptable methods of selling ideas. They are the reason for so many ethics standards appearing in govemment and business.
A Kind of Brain Washing. . .
The sales pitch for almost everything that touches our lives includes hypocrisy. To convince the gullible, nearly everything from cosmetics to religion is presented as seeming different than what it really is. We see in politics, promises that are impossible to honor, in education theories that could destroy society, in medicine false arguments which prevent the next generation from arriving on the earth, in commerce most advertising on TV and in the press distorts the truth, the porno people and the amoral sales people sell their stuff with the argument that somehow `what is adult’ is sinless, that what may be bad for children is not had for adults.
In religion – how the struggle goes on for souls! Those who truly seek God are entrapped in a thousand schemes to Iead them to God by this or that road, and often worldly advantages are part of the package.
Hypocrisy is rampant in the whole spectrum of moral consequences in human conduct. Humanism is taking its toll among our childnn “Seek your own value system” is drummed into them in school, on T.V. and in the media generally. When they ask “When do we know we have a value?” they are told “As long as you are comfortable with it.” No one seems to remember that God gave us our value system through Moses. Padre Pio never thought there could be a better one.
In the Days of Christ…
How many of these same hypocritical forms were used in Christ’s time! Did He not strike out at hypocrisy in the temple and in the hearts of men from the earliest days of His ministry!
How old and how new is the evil! Was it not hypocrisy among the Politicians and the religious leaders that brought Christ to Pilate – before the Soldiers who beat Him to exhaustion – forced Him under the heavy cross – and drove the nails into His body and made Him a common criminal to die on the cross with thieves?
Padre Pio understood hypocrisy in Christ’s time. For 50 years he shared the five wounds of Christ in his body – and he experienced some of the hypocrisy of the politicians and other authorities through those long years in his own life.
Christ on The Cross…
This season we again commemorate the suffering of Jesus on the cross. This season tens of thousands of Padre Pio’s devotees throughout the world have greater undestanding of the meaning, of the suffering of Christ on Calvary because Padre Pio conveyed that understanding to them through his own sharing of Christ’s wounds and his extraordinary example as an altar christus, an annointed Priest.
Holy Week on The Gargano…
Padre Pio always placed special emphasis on Holy Week. Thousands of his spiritual children found their way up the mountain of the Gargano – which formed the spur of the boot of Italy – to participate with him in reviewing the events of Christ’s last days on earth.
No spiritual experience quite equalled Holy Week with Padre Pio. His Masses convinced the most incredulous of the truth and meaning, of the Last Supper. For many he became the answer to the crises of faith. Conversions were commonplace at this time. Many vowed to change their way of life – some found vocations to the religious life. Credibility is what they found in Padre Pio – credibility in belief that Christ is really what He said He is.
originally posted at: http://www.padrepio.net/Hypocrisy.html
