Reverse hypocrisy

[Qoeleth]

Christ teaches us that it is a good thing to conceal almsgiving, fasting, good works and virtue, that the Father who see what is done in secret may reward you. He also says, Blessed are ye when all men speak ill of you. Employing these principles, it is possible to arrive at the practice of ‘reverse hypocrisy’- of making oneself appear worse than one is.

There are some cases of this in the tradition- St. Simeon the Fool, and a few Sufi dervishes.

A good example would be this- for a person to fast diligently on Thursdays, but then conspicuously to indulge on Fridays (the day of fasting). This way there would be a double merit- the merit of fasting itself, combined with the merit of attracting the condemnation of one’s fellows for not fasting.

Do any moral theologians have any opinion on the practice of “reverse hypocrisy”.

 

[Trishie]

Why do that? It is a disguised form of self-aggrandizement.
We aren’t trying to prove anything to anyone else.
The focus is God and if God chooses to use our witness, He will.

“God in His nature is most simple and cannot admit of any duplicity. If we then would be conformable to Him, we should try to become by virtue what He is by nature. We should be simple in our affections, intentions, actions, and words; we should do what we find to do without artifice or guile, making our exterior conformable to our interior. We should have no other object but God in our actions and seek to please Him alone in all things.” – St. Vincent de Paul

“Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity.”
St. Therese of Lisieux

 

[Richard320]

Sorry, I’m not a moral theologian.

But I can see a major flaw in one of your premises. You didn’t include the full sentence. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” So, one would only be blessed for taking verbal abuse for fasting for Jesus. Or because it is a Precept of His Church; same thing. A good example would be getting screamed at and spit on while peaceably praying a Rosary on the sidewalk outside Planned Parenthood. That’s the behavior Jesus will bless you for.

Attracting condemnation for doing wrong is no virtue. You’re just getting what you deserve. The Catechism explicitly states “One may not do evil so that good may result from it.” It’s paragraph 1761. There’s actually a good bit in there peripherally related to your fasting scenario. Start at about 1755 vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a4.htm

I have run into a thing sometimes referred to as “Reverse Pride”. That’s where someone embellishes their sins to make their current spiritual plane seem like a greater gain. Some guy who spent 3 days in the county jail for drunk driving may instead refer to it as “When I was doing time…” as an example. Dress it up however you want, it’s just Pride.

 

[NeedImprovement]

. . .A good example would be this- for a person to fast diligently on Thursdays, but then conspicuously to indulge on Fridays (the day of fasting). This way there would be a double merit- the merit of fasting itself, combined with the merit of attracting the condemnation of one’s fellows for not fasting.
. . .

We can’t really assume there is any merit at all in either of them until we examine intention ; we would have to know the interior workings of that person’s heart .

 

[Qoeleth]

Why do that? It is a disguised form of self-aggrandizement.
We aren’t trying to prove anything to anyone else.
The focus is God and if God chooses to use our witness, He will.

What about all the saints, who habitually describe themselves as “the most wretched of sinners”? Is this just rhetoric? Is it self-aggrandizment? Is it dishonesty? Is it lack of self knowledge or self esteem? Or is it reverse hypocrisy- the desire to appear worse (in the eyes of the world) than one is?

 

[Qoeleth]

I have run into a thing sometimes referred to as “Reverse Pride”. That’s where someone embellishes their sins to make their current spiritual plane seem like a greater gain. Some guy who spent 3 days in the county jail for drunk driving may instead refer to it as “When I was doing time…” as an example. Dress it up however you want, it’s just Pride.

You mean like St. Augustine?

Sorry, just joking, but some have said that he exaggerated his youthful sins…

 

[Trishie]

What about all the saints, who habitually describe themselves as “the most wretched of sinners”? Is this just rhetoric? Is it self-aggrandizment? Is it dishonesty? Is it lack of self knowledge or self esteem? Or is it reverse hypocrisy- the desire to appear worse (in the eyes of the world) than one is?

They are less able to deceive themselves, more aware of God’s greatness and goodness.
Most of us only have a very vague idea. Possibly they are people who have known that they have had serious sin, or very heavy temptation, and now see their sin or feel their profound weakness in the face of temptation, for what is really is, a heinous offence against their Creator. A saint who never committed a mortal sin, like St Therese of Lisieux (assured thus by her spiritual director) didn’t use that sort of language about herself.

 

[Trishie]

You mean like St. Augustine?

Sorry, just joking, but some have said that he exaggerated his youthful sins…

Saint Augustine didn’t exaggerate. He committed ongoing fornication with his mistress, never marrying, though later abandoning the woman and his son. He consciously resisted God’s grace of conversion and remained living in sin for many years

 

[LilyM]

What about all the saints, who habitually describe themselves as “the most wretched of sinners”? Is this just rhetoric? Is it self-aggrandizment? Is it dishonesty? Is it lack of self knowledge or self esteem? Or is it reverse hypocrisy- the desire to appear worse (in the eyes of the world) than one is?

All sin is unspeakably wretched, even the most minor, as are all sinners when considered on their own. The closer one gets to God the more one is conscious of the gap between one’s imperfection and His perfection. Hence the accurate description by some of the saints of their wretched state of sinfulness.