There was a strong vein of anti-clericalism in Jesus to which he was not afraid to give utterance. He denounced the scribes and Pharisees who laid heavy burdens on others but did not move a finger to lift them themselves. He spoke of hypocrites, of blind guides, of teachers who cleaned the outside of the cup but left the inside filthy, worrying more about external observance of the law than about the movements in people's hearts. The clerical establishment was furious, and in the end, on Calvary, thought itself vindicated. So we have learned to combine reverence and love for the Church with a cool appraisal of its officials. We, the people of God, are the church. As the Spanish proverb has it. ‘We are the people and wisdom will die with us.' The clergy, religious, bishops, have their part to play, and we need to keep them up to scratch. We are not astonished when we find traces of the seven deadly sins even in those who profess greater piety. All through the centuries the church has had this job of criticising and reforming itself. But critics today, like the Jews who surrounded the adulterous woman, need to heed Jesus' warning, ‘Let the one who is without sin among you cast the first stone.' (John 8:3-11) ■