When does a person cease to be a hypocrite?

  • Thread starter Thread starter littlechicken
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

littlechicken

Guest
I ask because there seems to be a lot of aricles about this celeb or that celeb, or a politician, who are ridiculed about things they did years, or decades ago. They are referred to as hypocrites, no matter if they’ve accepted responsibility for their actions, and are truly sorry.

If a person commits the crime of fraud, and is truly repentant, then they tell someone else not to do so, are they a hypocrite?
What about adultery?

I’m really curious, cause I have seen some wonderful people who’ve made drastic changes in their lives, but are still referred to as hypocrites due to past sins.

This really baffles me, so thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
 
Saint Augustine had been a sinner. He had a mistress by whom he had a son.
He repented and amended his life, and became one of the great Saints of the Church.

If anyone has repented and is now trying to live a good life, he or she are not hypocrites.
The sin is in the person who is judging them as hypocrites.
If they try to advise someone else not to sin as they sinned, they are trying to teach others to avoid the mistakes they made.
In doing so, they are performing a work of charity in trying to prevent others from sins similar to those they previously committed themselves.

A definition of hypocrite
hyp·o·crite dictionary.reference.com/browse/hypocrite
   [hip-uh-krit]
noun
1.
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2.
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
 
TriciaF said:
Saint Augustine had been a sinner. He had a mistress by whom he had a son.
He repented and amended his life, and became one of the great Saints of the Church.

If anyone has repented and is now trying to live a good life, he or she are not hypocrites.
The sin is in the person who is judging them as hypocrites.

A definition of hypocrite
hyp·o·crite dictionary.reference.com/browse/hypocrite
   [hip-uh-krit]
noun
1.
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2.
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
Click to expand...
This may well be the only answer I need. So what it implies is if a person is secretly, or even openly doing, what they are accusing another of, is where the hypocrisy lies?

Maybe I should have asked how long a person’s past should be held against them? 🤷

🙂 Thanks,
littlechicken
 
No one has the right to hold anyone’s past against them.
God is judge.
We can be wary if a person is continues unrepentantly committing the sins or if they seem incapable of changing their behavior. If their behavior directly affects our lives or our loved ones’ lives, we need to be both wise and charitable.

You may find it helpful to read all of the page in the link to the Catechism of the Catholic Church in addition to what is quoted?

"2475 Christ’s disciples have "put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."274 By “putting away falsehood,” they are to "put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander."275

2476 False witness and perjury. When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the truth takes on a particular gravity. In court it becomes false witness.276 When it is under oath, it is perjury. Acts such as these contribute to condemnation of the innocent, exoneration of the guilty, or the increased punishment of the accused.277 They gravely compromise the exercise of justice and the fairness of judicial decisions.

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.278 He becomes guilty:
  • of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
  • of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them;279
  • of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.
2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: :

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a8.htm
 
Thank you so much.
The link you’ve provided is very helpful.

I’ve done a lot wrong in my life, and am so willing to take responsibility for those things.
The hard part is, though I’ve done a lot, I’ve been falsley accused of much more, and I can’t seem to overcome that. Those doing the accusing are “credible” in the eyes of society, and due to my past it seems anyone can (and often do) say anything about me, no matter how untrue it is.
It has been a hindrance for me in many ways, and I have little defense.

I am trying to accept it as my cross to bear.

I appreciate the many things you’ve pointed out to me, and will continue to learn.
If you don’t mind, I ask for prayer too.

Again, many thanks,
God bless,
littlechicken
 
The term hypocrite gets overused in public discourse.

In the truest sense of the word, it refers to someone who says one thing and believes another.

Someone who says one thing and does another is usually just a sinner. That pretty much applies to all of us. :o
 
littlechicken said:
Thank you so much.
The link you’ve provided is very helpful.

I’ve done a lot wrong in my life, and am so willing to take responsibility for those things.
The hard part is, though I’ve done a lot, I’ve been falsley accused of much more, and I can’t seem to overcome that. Those doing the accusing are “credible” in the eyes of society, and due to my past it seems anyone can (and often do) say anything about me, no matter how untrue it is.
It has been a hindrance for me in many ways, and I have little defense.

I am trying to accept it as my cross to bear.

I appreciate the many things you’ve pointed out to me, and will continue to learn.
If you don’t mind, I ask for prayer too.

Again, many thanks,
God bless,
littlechicken
Click to expand...
Yes, I will pray for you and will ask St Mary Magdalene to pray for you. She sinned but repented. Who knows what drew her to her earlier sinful ways.
I’m sure lots of people continued to judge her too and thought worse of her than she deserved.
Jesus showed her only kindness.
She was the first person that the bible mentions as seeing Him after His resurrection,
and she was the person commissioned to tell the disciples that He was risen from the dead. People often also judged Jesus unkindly and falsely accused Him.
Whatever people say, you’re dear to God and I think you’re a good person.
Sending a hug.
 
Thanks.
Especially for the prayers.

But also 🙂 am finding that link to the Catechism very helpful.
I will offer prayers for you as well.

:hug3:
Have a good night both of you.
littlechicken
 
A person ceases to be a hypocrite when he or she closes the gap between actions and words. It seems you have done that. I admire those, who like you, exercise the courage to close that gap.

The truth is, we ALL have gaps between our actions and words to close. Thank Jesus Christ for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and constantly pray for His Grace to live life according to His teachings.

As for those who will not let you forget, forget them. Avoid them as much as possible. Develop new acquaintances and friends. That will take time, for sure. If necesary, move. And pray for your enemies. And remember you are NOT responsible for their sins, but only your own.

I know that getting away from those who persecute you is not easy. Constantly pray for guidance. Meanwhile offer up your suffering as a way of sharing in Christ’s Passion.
 
GratefulFred said:
A person ceases to be a hypocrite when he or she closes the gap between actions and words. It seems you have done that. I admire those, who like you, exercise the courage to close that gap.

The truth is, we ALL have gaps between our actions and words to close. Thank Jesus Christ for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and constantly pray for His Grace to live life according to His teachings.

As for those who will not let you forget, forget them. Avoid them as much as possible. Develop new acquaintances and friends. That will take time, for sure. If necesary, move. And pray for your enemies. And remember you are NOT responsible for their sins, but only your own.

I know that getting away from those who persecute you is not easy. Constantly pray for guidance. Meanwhile offer up your suffering as a way of sharing in Christ’s Passion.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement. They are appreciated.
I want very much to help others,(to help atone for my own past, but also to just help others because everyone needs someone) but the situation I am in makes it ***seem ***impossible to do so. Maybe that is what the devil wants me to believe, or what I have somehow deduced in my own mind.

🙂
littlechicken
 
Good posts.

We have to realize that when we or anyone else sins, we all are sinners. It is when one repents that one becomes a repentant sinner…still a sinner, though.

In the case of an adulterer, that person is either an aldulterer or not, but can be a repentant adulterer; not that one should bring that up about them as an introduction 😉 “Hi, this is my friend Jeff, who cheated on his wife 3 years ago but since then has made amends and hasn’t done it again”.

Public folks, celebrities, politicians and the like, methinks have more of an obligation for public disclosure of their transgressions…repentance or change of heart, not sure those are the most appropriate terms…in to one degree or another than do Jane and John Q. Public.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see a celeb finally settle down with their umpteenth “spouse dejour” and publically state in public that serial marriages were a bad idea and that choosing a spouse-for-life is the best afterall? A politician who admitted to unethical-if-not-illegal influence peddling and has now decided to represent only the people who voted him or her into office? A rock star gone straight who “preaches” against the evils of the “drugs, booze and broads” mentality?
 
As Jesus said when you have pulled the plank out from your own eye.Then you can remove the splinter from you brothers eye.
 
littlechicken said:
I ask because there seems to be a lot of aricles about this celeb or that celeb, or a politician, who are ridiculed about things they did years, or decades ago. They are referred to as hypocrites, no matter if they’ve accepted responsibility for their actions, and are truly sorry.

If a person commits the crime of fraud, and is truly repentant, then they tell someone else not to do so, are they a hypocrite?
What about adultery?

I’m really curious, cause I have seen some wonderful people who’ve made drastic changes in their lives, but are still referred to as hypocrites due to past sins.

This really baffles me, so thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
Click to expand...
Failing to live up to what you believe is not being a hypocrite. It is something we all do as we all have a fallen nature and we sin. Whats important is that we truly believe what we profess to believe and attempt to live those beliefs and are repentent when we fail to live up to them–thats called being human.

The hypocrite is someone who professes to believe on thing but really believes and lives something else. Hypocrite is one of the most misused words in the english language and is often used to try to discredit those who fail to live up to their beliefs.

Peace,
Mark
 
in the bible is says not to judge.

logic follows that one should be as charitable as possible to most people and respect their opinions and “principles” but that does not mean we should imitate their faults or ignorance rather one should keep ones principles especially when it comes to issues like intrinsic evils.

Shalom
God Bless
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top