The Pharisees get a bad reputation from the Gospels. Mainly because of Jesus’ interactions with them. While the Pharisees undoubtedly had an incredible desire to do the will of God, many did so in a hypocritical manner and by putting themselves above the ‘sinners’. Possibly their greatest flaw came when they were confronted by Jesus, and refused to receive his instruction humbly. Even after Jesus’ death, there have been many religious figures that have fallen into the trap of ‘Pharisaicalism.’ As someone who continually struggles with pride in one form or another, and is interested in religion and spirituality, I know that I am susceptible to the failures of the Pharisees as well.
So what makes up a modern day ‘Pharisee’ within the Catholic faith? Our faith beautifully incorporates the whole person, both body and soul. Which means that our interior and exterior movements are redeemed by orienting the self to Jesus. In this way, our love for God is supposed to spill out into our actions through good works. However, because of the ease of achieving good works compared to the struggle of the transformation of the heart, we can sometimes have an over emphasis on work. If we allow our focus on works to become the sole focus, or it greatly outpaces our desire for interior conversion, those who are adept at performing good works can form a false sense of righteousness. It is fine to recognize that the good we do is in line with the will of our heavenly Father, but if our righteousness causes us to elevate ourselves over others who may not be as adept or care less about doing good works than we do, then we become Pharisaical.
The mark of a Pharisee is someone who condemns others from their own self righteousness. They necessarily separate themselves from others because of their failures. The only way for full communion again with these ‘sinners’ is if the sinners imitate the Pharisees and rise to the occasion. In essence, the Pharisee sees all people as needing to be as holy as they are, and feels the need to exhort others to holiness. Striving to be holy and calling others to holiness is a good thing. It is the work of a prophet. The problem occurs whenever the prophet then executes personal judgment on those who disregard them which usually takes the form of ostracization. It is here that Pharisaism begins. Then as time goes on, it can be the tendency of the Pharisee to not hold themselves to the high standards to which they hold others. Their self righteousness lulls them into a false sense of security, and they rationalize or overlook their own sins while pointing out others.
While Jesus was very critical of the Pharisees, He did give them praise. He taught that we should all have the righteousness of the Pharisees. A holy boldness is essential in the life of a Christian. So that is something we should keep in mind. But in order to avoid becoming a Pharisee ourselves, we need to adopt a perpetual spirit of humility. We have to realize that our good works are a result of the love that God has for us, and not due to our own merit. Thus, we have no reason to elevate ourselves over others. Rather, we can glorify God for our good works, call others to holiness, but then stand in holy solidarity with our struggling brothers and sisters realizing that without God’s grace, we are the same sinners.
This is a difficult line to walk. We have to remain humble, while calling others to holiness. It is a foreign concept for our Western mindset. We think that we need to show strength and power to call others on to something greater. But Jesus gives us the opposite example during His earthly ministry. He spends three years of preaching, teaching, and healing aligning himself with the poor. And even when many do not listen, He stands in holy solidarity with us, His struggling brothers and sisters, and accepts condemnation on our behalf. Rather than exert His own righteousness (which was truly righteous), He trusted that His heavenly Father would provide all He needed. In this way, Jesus shows us how to avoid being a Pharisee.
So if we find ourselves having Pharisaical tendencies, we must remember that this is natural. We are called for greatness, and so we naturally want to elevate ourselves. Yet, Jesus teaches us the greatest amongst us will be the servants. So to avoid those temptations, we humble ourselves to the service of our brothers and sisters. When we do this, we become like Jesus, not a Pharisee.
