Lk 18.9-14 Oct 26-25 "Faith or Facade? Unpacking Motives in Doing Good"

So, we overhear the prayers of two very different men.  One man, the Pharisees has done a lot and includes what he has done in a list expecting I guess to impress God.  He was doing okay until he compared himself to the tax collector.  The second man, the Tax collector has said little but admits to his wrongdoing and is truly sorry.  It must have come as a shock to the first listeners to this parable.  There are several points to this story.  Appearances can be deceiving.   It’s important not to rush to judgement.  Also, despite the tax collector’s past he did have one thing the Pharisee lacked and that is the awareness of who he was.  I wonder if being aware of where we need to grow and change in our lives is important for the development of our spirituality.  I am not talking about being self deprecating but choosing rather to seek self awareness and humility that might be critical in the development of our spirituality.  Likely the Pharisee was not aware that he had completely missed the values of the practice of his faith.  Because of his lack of self-awareness, it is likely that he will not see the need for personal growth or recognize opportunities in his life to grow.

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"Faith or Facade? Unpacking Motives in Doing Good"

 Hello, and thank you for joining me on “A Psychologist Looks at Scripture.” I am Peter Doherty—a Catholic priest and psychologist—and I am pleased you can join me.

In this podcast, I draw from my background in psychology and scripture studies to provide fresh insights into the Gospels. The Gospels consistently invite us to deepen our faith, find new wisdom, and grow spiritually. There is always something more to discover together.

Each episode runs about 7 to 10 minutes.  I know my listeners are busy, so I keep my podcasts short.  If you have time and are interested, please check out the earlier episodes listed on the podcast website and on YouTube.  I would like to thank all my listeners.  Thank you so much for being part of this journey!  Your support energizes me to keep podcasting.  Please let me know if you have questions and comments, they truly matter—they help this podcast grow and flourish.

The Gospel today from Luke 18:9-14 is about a Pharisee and a Tax collector praying at the temple.  If you haven’t already seen this Gospel, I mentioned this scripture passage two weeks ago in the podcast that focused on the theme of gratitude.   What we have here are two men who are polar opposites in relation to their life choices. It is typical for Jesus to completely reverse the story.  We have the Pharisee, a spiritual leader and teacher.  He would be respected and immediately recognizable by his fine clothes and by the respect he commanded.  Next to him was a tax collector, a member of the community but despised because he was working with the hated Romans.  Tax collectors often kept some of the taxes for themselves and so were hated by the people.  Remember Zachuses who after meeting with Jesus and following his conversion offers to give back to the people the money he stole. (Luke 19:1-10). Unlike the Pharisee the tax collector would be seen as a traitor to his people.  He would be looked down upon by the people.  Despite this however he ends up being the hero in this story. 

So, we overhear the prayers of two very different men.  One man, the Pharisee has done a lot and includes what he has done in a list expecting to impress God.  He was doing okay until he compared himself to the tax collector.  The second man, a tax collector has said little but admits to his wrongdoing and is truly sorry.  It must have come as a shock to the first listeners to this parable.  There are several points to this story.  Appearances can be deceiving.   It’s important not to rush to judgement.  Also, despite the tax collector’s past he did have one thing the Pharisee lacked and that is the awareness of who he was.  I wonder if being aware of where we need to grow and change in our lives is important for the development of our spirituality.  I am not talking about being self deprecating but choosing rather to seek self awareness and humility that might be critical in the development of our spirituality.  Likely the Pharisee was not aware that he had completely missed the values of the practice of his faith.  Because of his lack of self-awareness, it is likely that he will not see the need for personal growth or recognize opportunities in his life to grow spiritually.

On that note I want to point out that the Pharisee is using the list of his “good deeds” to prop up his own self esteem and his self concept.  Jesus was well aware of this and we see similar scenarios throughout the Gospels.  For example, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for wearing long tassels, found in Matthew 23:5 where Jesus says, "Everything they do is done to be seen by others; they make their phylacteries broad and their tassels long".   It is natural to look at one’s actions to help determine one’s identity but keep in mind my earlier point; appearances can be deceiving.   Actions done solely to make us feel better are not likely to lead to spiritual growth.

Belief without actions suggests an inactive faith.  The scripture that points out the problem of faith without action is found in the letters of James, 2:14-26. James emphasizes that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17), meaning that faith alone, without corresponding actions or deeds, is ineffective and lifeless.  What is noteworthy here is that faith leads to good works.  Sadly, good works by themselves does not lead to faith.  There are many people in our world who have no faith but have a heart that calls them to do good works.  I suspect you may know many people who claim to be people of faith, but their faith is separate from who they are.  A reflective question that you probably have heard before asks the following,  “If your Christian faith became illegal today, would there be enough evidence for your neighbours to convict you?”  I urge you to reflect on this question as it challenges us to look at our faith and how we express our faith in action. Jesus makes this point when he rebukes the scribes and Pharisees by saying they are like whitewashed tombs which appear beautiful on the outside but are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness inside (Matthew 23:27).  

Hypocrisy often stems from fear, low self-esteem, and a desire to avoid humility and personal responsibility. This psychological tension may lead to inner conflict known as cognitive dissonance, where one's behaviors do not align with their values or self-image, causing discomfort and stress. People often try to reduce their discomfort by rationalizing or justifying their actions, which can drain mental energy and harm self-esteem. Over time, persistent cognitive dissonance can impair mental health by fostering negative emotions, self-doubt, and avoidance of self-awareness.  Maintaining a hypocritical facade can lead to feelings of guilt, anxiety, and fragmentation of identity as the person struggles to reconcile their true self with the image they project. Over time, this can damage mental well-being by fostering self-deception, avoidance of self-awareness, and relational distrust.  The worst-case scenario is when the person comes to believe in the facade and are not living reality and their erroneous beliefs can lead then to actions they would normally have rejected.  I have worked with people in therapy, and I know it’s hard to give up these beliefs and accept reality.  They continue to make the same mistakes in their relationships.  In many cases they are stuck in this revolving cycle.

Thank you for joining me today.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at peter.dohertyomi@gmail.com.

May God richly bless you!