31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Sunday 5th November 2017)
The way of Jesus is humility – (Matthew 23:1-12)
It seems like things weren’t much different two thousand years ago than today. People did things to attract attention. I know that a broader phylactery or a longer tassel is probably a much rarer sight in 21st Century Ireland than it was in 1st Century Palestine but the principle is still the same. They take places of honour and greet each other obsequiously in public just so that they can be noticed.
Jesus says the Pharisees and scribes were not practicing what they preached. All this honour and glory and power they were absorbing for themselves didn’t seem to be rooted in anything. They expected attention from others without really deserving it. His comment is not directed in general but at these people in particular. This is because they were the people who occupied the chair of Moses. The people in charge of teaching God’s law to others.
It seems Jesus is saying that these people love the power and prestige that went with their position but in fact their words are empty. Because they are occupying the chair of Moses they are responsible for teaching about God – they are successors of Moses… who acted as an intermediary between God and the Jewish people. They are continuing to be the strong link between God and the people. They are responsible for speaking about God and the demands of the law BUT Jesus says really their words are not lived out by them and they do not teach Moses law to help the people but rather, to increase their own power and position.
It is with no small irony then that Jesus comments on what they are doing. That Jesus who is God himself says to his disciples: don’t be fooled by these people, you can be guided by their words but don’t imitate their practice. Ultimately this is God judging the secret emotions and thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees hearts.
And that is the second lesson God offers to us in this reading. In a way it is advice about how to counteract the showy, power-hungry way of the scribes and Pharisees. He’s not advising that we should stand up to them or contradict them or shout them down. No. He says we should do what they tell us and be guided by what they do but NOT practice what they preach.
The way of Jesus is the way of humility. He says the greatest of us must be the servant and if we HUMBLE ourselves we will be exalted.
In our everyday lives we might not meet many real life scribes and Pharisees but we might meet tendencies in this direction. Religious people who like attention. We might even absorb some of these tendencies ourselves. Although, it is fair to say that being a Catholic in today’s society is a pretty humble station. Actually, we should keep in mind then that this kind of social environment can actually spur us to lead a holier life. It can sometimes be a challenge to be a practicing Catholic in Ireland today but if we persevere humbly and with the attitude of a servant then we have the hallmarks of true followers of Christ and we can be sure of our exaltation. Of course, not making the mistake of seeking this exaltation before the due time… but by obediently following Christ.
As we gather around the Eucharist this evening let us not be distracted by the showy power struggles of the world but keep this focus on obedience to the living God who is our one master, our one teacher and our one Father.
Fr. Declan Lohan