An all-too-often accusation alleged against Catholics is the claim that the Catholic religion is a pharisaical religion centered around the observance of man-made rules and not on the worship of God in spirit and truth. How should a Catholic answer these claims? First, some background is necessary.
Who Were the Pharisees?
Father John Laux, in Church History: A History of the Catholic Church to 1940, succinctly explains the two dominant groups in Judaism during the time of Our Lord. These groups were the Pharisees and the Sadducees:
“In Palestine, since the days of the Maccabees, the Jews were divided into two great parties, distinguished from each other both in politics and religion. The Pharisees were rigorists in religion and extreme nationalists in politics. They not only insisted on the strict observance of the letter of the Law but were also most zealous defenders of the traditions and usages that had grown up around the Law and made its observance an intolerable burden. They were bitterly opposed to all foreign influence in the affairs of Palestine.
“The Sadducees, to whom most of the Jewish nobility and the priesthood belonged, were the liberals and freethinkers of their day. They acknowledged the Law of Moses, but rejected tradition and attributed no value whatever to rites and ceremonies. They denied personal immortality, the resurrection of the body, and the existence of good and bad angels. Politically they favored peace and co-operation with Rome.”
Hence, these groups were opposed on several matters. Whereas the Sadducees rejected true doctrine, the Pharisees were not focused on growing in true virtue but rather preferred man-made traditions which imposed a nearly insurmountable burden on souls. Both groups were in error, and Our Lord condemned the false teachings and/or practices of both, as recounted in the Gospels.
The Condemnation of the Pharisees
Some of the key errors and criticisms made by Our Lord about the Pharisees include:
Hypocrisy: Jesus frequently accused the Pharisees of being hypocrites because they often placed a strong emphasis on external religious observance while neglecting matters of the heart and true righteousness. In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus says: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” Our Lord did not criticize their external observances in and of themselves but rather that they cared only for the external without any interior holiness.
Legalism: The Pharisees were known for their strict adherence to the letter of the law, but Jesus criticized them for missing the spirit of the law and burdening people with heavy religious requirements. Our Lord accused the Pharisees of obsession with rules and traditions – focusing on minor details of religious observance – while neglecting the more important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness (cf. Matthew 23:23), which should flourish under a system of holy laws.
Pride and Self-righteousness: Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their pride and self-righteousness. In Luke 18:9-14, Our Lord tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, illustrating how the Pharisee’s prayer was filled with self-righteousness while the tax collector’s humble plea for mercy was accepted by God.
Love of Public Praise: Jesus noted that the Pharisees loved to be seen by others and sought public recognition for their religious deeds, rather than doing them sincerely for love of God (cf. Matthew 6:1-6).
In each of these vices, Our Lord condemned the Pharisees for the love of only the external while entirely lacking the internal (e.g., humility, true love of God, care for souls, growth in virtue, etc.). We see this exemplified in the Pharisees’ practice of tricking widows to vow their properties to the Temple, which would enrich the Pharisees while leaving the widows destitute (cf. Matthew 23:14); and they craftily did so in a way to not violate the letter of the law in Exodus 22:22–23. But through it all, they failed to grasp, love, and practice the spirit of the law.
Thus, Our Lord noted that the Jewish leaders of His time were to be obeyed in their valid commands, but their sinful conduct was not to be followed:
“The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not; for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them” (Matthew 23:2-4).
The Rightful Authority of the Church to Issue Laws
As recounted in a previous article, Our Lord truly established upon the Apostles and their successors the ability to legislate for the faithful. As Fr. Laux further states:
“From this commission of Christ, it is evident that His followers form an organized society under the leadership and guidance of the Apostles and their successors, with the right to teach and to command on one side, and the duty to be taught and to obey on the other…”
If you believe Our Lord’s words to St. Peter in Matthew 18:17-18, and if you believe that the Apostles and their successors govern the Church as seen through the example of history for 2,000 years, then you must believe that their valid laws must be obeyed. These two beliefs are dogmas, taught by the Church with her infallible authority.
Christ and the Church are One. He is the Head; the Church is His Mystical Body. Therefore, the Church can solemnly teach and legislate with the very authority of Our Incarnate Lord and King, Jesus Christ. On account of this truth, Catholics have always known that the Church has the authority to institute laws that bind us, even under the pain of mortal sin (e.g., the precepts of the Church). Of course, we can and should go beyond the minimum – such as fasting and abstaining more than the required minimum – but the minimum, if intentionally violated, is a serious sin.
Divine Worship Is Not Pharisaical
Our Savior declared: “Do not think that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). And the Old Testament was replete with explicit requirements for divine worship, including the following:
- Ritual Sacrifices: The Old Testament prescribed various animal sacrifices and offerings as a means of approaching and seeking forgiveness from God. These included burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings which were to be offered in highly detailed manners (Leviticus 1-7).
- Temple Worship: Worship was centered around the Tabernacle (a portable sanctuary) and later the Temple in Jerusalem. The Tabernacle and the Temple were the designated places for making offerings and seeking God’s presence (Exodus 25-27; 1 Kings 6).
- Sabbath Observance: The Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, was a day of rest and worship, where Israelites were to cease from their work and dedicate the day to God (Exodus 20:8-11).
- Observance of Holy Days: The Old Testament prescribed various holy festivals and feasts, such as Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, as times of worship and remembrance (Leviticus 23).
Anyone who has read the Old Testament, especially Leviticus, will be aware of the extremely detailed requirements that God, through His representatives (e.g., Moses), imposed for His worship. And the same is true with the New Testament. Our Lord observed the Old Testament Laws and, upon the completion of the Old, instituted the Sacraments at the Last Supper when He offered the first Mass. As the book How Christ Said the First Mass illustrates, Our Lord instituted a highly detailed manner for perpetuating His Sacrifice. The Church, through the successors of the Apostles, keeps and mandates various ecclesiastical laws, which can and do change unlike divine law, to ensure that God is reverently worshipped.
How to Respond to the Accusation
Returning to our initial question: How should a Catholic answer the accusation that Catholics are pharisaical? As always, it helps to first define and distinguish. What exactly is the accuser suggesting, and how are they using the term ‘pharisaical’? The background information in this article should help you refute misinformed and uneducated accusations (of which there are many).
What if the accuser is saying that Catholics (that is, members of the Church Militant) are guilty of the sins of hypocrisy, legalism, self-righteousness, love of praise, or concerned merely with externals? These are certainly sins that individual Catholics fall into, as do men of every era, race, and religion. We all know being Catholic doesn’t make us immune to these vices. However, we do well to note that there are countless Catholics who no longer succumb to these sins; that is, all the members of the Church Triumphant and Church Suffering. And every one of us should earnestly strive – with the help of God’s grace – to avoid these sins and seek absolution of any such transgressions in the confessional.
However, if the accuser charges that the Catholic Church herself fosters these vices, then he is in gross error and should be charitably corrected. These vices are all in direct contradiction to the teachings of Catholicism. Holy Mother Church calls all her children to have supernatural motivations (of faith, hope, and charity) and not worldly or merely natural motivations. Moreover, out of all human institutions, the Church alone has the power – the right and responsibility – to provide men with the actual means (sanctifying grace!) so that our acts have true supernatural merit.
A true disciple of Christ picks up his cross and follows the Master. True Catholicism is the very antidote to a pharisaic mentality!
Conclusion
Our Lord never rejected the importance of following the letter of the law. In fact, Jesus, Who is God incarnate, instituted these laws in former times. But these laws were to be observed to further love for God and for neighbor. The error of the Pharisees was not in their observance of external requirements but rather in that they did not care about their interior life. A true Catholic will have both – a love for the letter and the spirit of God’s law.