Padre Jose: All That Is Wrong with Religion

Most of you were there when I backed up Justin Bridges' claim that Padre Jose is the most despicable character in The Power and the Glory. I figured that in this extra installment I would explain the position and why it is so important that we see the truth.

I have no respect, admiration, or pity for Padre Jose. He represents everything that is wrong with religion, everything that must change if a true, living presentation of the Gospel can be made. I want to call attention to the beetles, the vulture, and the rabid dog. All of these are symbols of decay and mixed with these symbols of decay are those of death, especially the death of children (seeming innocents). Greene portrays this province of Mexico as dead and decaying; what is not dead is only living off of the the dead. The land is in dire physical and spiritual straits.

During this time period there have no doubt been many martyrs, great men (and women) of faith he withstood this Marxist secularization of this area of Mexico. These martyrs died to protest the destruction of what is good, the living witness and power of the Church as it proclaims the Gospel. They are killed off and hunted to exinction except two people: the whiskey priest and Padre Jose.

The whiskey priest is not perfect but he is faithful and he is triumphant; ultimately having to depend entirely of the grace of God. Padre Jose however, "retires" from the priesthood, marries a woman, and settles down to a nice government pension. He compromises everything to be secure and comfortable. Now, one may want to feel sorry for Padre Jose, but this to me is impossible. His own ghosts haunt him because he knows that he is the one who really betrayed the faith. The whiskey priest has questionable habits, but Padre Jose has questionable character.

He won't do his duties but then he dares to want people to call him a priest. His "wife's" protest of his denial is absolutely spot on and telling. Padre Jose is not a priest, he something far less, he is a type of Judas the betrayer of Christ. He dutifully, apathetically watches as men and women are called for standing for the truth of the Gospel and lives in his comfortable home with his government stipend. He is no priest, he is letch, a leech, a disgusting tumor on the Church that rightly needs to be exposed and sliced off.

Greene is using this to comment on religion of his day. It had no power and no glory. It was comfortable, cute, and absolutely pathetic in its nature; it was harmless. Religion used to justify the status quo or tradition when it is clear that such things are helping society decay, is not religion but harsh, acidic embalming fluid. What good is it? Where is the power? Where is the glory? Where is the demonstration of truth and love? Where is the Church especially in a time where voices need to be heard on behalf of love and holiness? Where is the fruit of our professed beliefs, and if none is present, do we really believe at all?

Say what you want about the morality of the whiskey priest; he indeed was a bad man (but refer to my previous blog). However, Padre Jose is so disgustingly evil because of his clinging to tradition, titles, and an illusion of importance (even when such things have long since passed) and neglecting the very call of faith and demonstration God had placed on his life. I would rather be a morally depraved, yet consistently loving and selfless whiskey priest than to be a faithless, godless mongrel priest that does no one any good and brings disgrace upon the Gospel of Christ.