The Stones We Throw: Denial, Gaslighting, and the Mercy of the Cross

Homilist: Fr. Mark Baron, MIC

The readings for this homily

In the past two days, the Gospels have revealed the core reason Jesus was nailed on the Cross: our sins. Historically, this unfolded through the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, particularly the Pharisees and scribes. Yesterday, Jesus declared, "I am," connecting Himself to God’s self-revelation to Moses as existence itself. Today, He reveals an even deeper truth: the mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son. This Trinitarian revelation speaks of an intimate, interpenetrating life where the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father.

Yet, the most fascinating aspect of this passage is not the historical conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees leading to the Cross, but the internal battle within the hearts of the Pharisees — and within our own hearts. Jesus faces a defense mechanism of denial. The Pharisees do not deny the miracles He performs; they deny what those miracles point to: His divinity. They see the good works, but refuse to trace them back to the divine cause. This denial stems from a threat to their ego. Jesus, as a greater authority, threatened their status, their livelihood, and their self-perception.

When denial fails, the mind moves to rationalization. The Pharisees found a legal reason to reject Jesus: apparent blasphemy. They claimed He was a mere man making Himself equal to God, a crime punishable by death. This is the intellect serving the will to avoid an unwanted reality. hen we do not desire a truth to be real, our will moves our intellect to find a reason to reject it. The Pharisees rationalized their rejection to protect their pride.

Next comes projection. The Pharisees took their own internal chaos — pride, resistance, and anger — and projected it onto Jesus. They called Him a blasphemer, transferring their own spiritual blindness onto Him. This is the dynamic of looking at the speck in another’s eye while ignoring the beam in one’s own. By externalizing their internal demons, they could fight an external enemy rather than face their own brokenness. They converted shame into righteous anger, convincing themselves they were right while Jesus was wrong.

Finally, we see the modern phenomenon of gaslighting. The Pharisees did not just deny the truth; they tried to make Jesus doubt His own reality. They accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the devil. Gaslighting is not just refusing to see the truth; it is insisting that the one who sees the truth is crazy, unstable, or mistaken. They tried to reshape reality so that Jesus’ miracles were demonic acts. This is a desperate attempt to avoid the shame of facing the truth about oneself.

Why does this matter? Because we all carry these defense mechanisms. We are wired to protect our ego, but these mechanisms become exaggerated problems if we remain trapped in them. God became man and died on the Cross to help us cope with our sinful, imperfect souls. We need a healthy image of God — not as a tyrant, but as a source of unconditional mercy. The Divine Mercy Image shows us that God is good and seeks only to heal and restore.

This truth gives us the courage to stand spiritually naked before God. We can admit, “Lord, I am a hot mess. I have this problem.” We can submit humbly, knowing God wants to help. We must not get caught in the snare of living like Pharisees. Consider the phrase “my body, my choice” regarding abortion. It is a powerful rationalization that turns the focus of the conversation away from the child and the reality of the situation, justifying an evil by framing it as a right. It is a defense mechanism to avoid the pain of facing the truth.