Hypocrisy in religion was condemned by the great religious leaders from the time of the prophets down to Jesus. We are all ordinary Christians fulfilling our religious duties as demanded by the Gospel and as proposed by the Church. We may feel that the condemnations against hypocrisy have really nothing much to do with us. Let us look deeper into the matter.

We associate hypocrisy with blatant falsity, where the external religious attitude is not matched by an interior conversion. The prophets certainly intended that sense, as did Jesus in some of His sayings. The "hypocrites" condemned by Jesus, however, were frequently people who were over careful in their religious observance, to the point of scrupulousness. If God asks for one thing do several more things then you are safe! If God demands fasting once a week, then fast two or three times - just in case! Then you will have certainly accomplished what God wanted! While easily leading to ostentation and falsity in religion, this mental state often afflicts people who would certainly be free from any thought of falsity in religion. The temptation is to make God the "eternal book-keeper", but God is love, and God's love is liberating.