31st Sunday of Ordinary Time – A
November 5, 2023
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Who Will Know?
I imagine that many of us are familiar with the movie A Man for All Seasons.
A Man for All Seasons is about Thomas More, the famous Chancellor of King Henry VIII of England. In the story, a very ambitious young man named Richard Rich petitions More for a prominent position.
Thomas More offers Richard Rich a position as a teacher. Rich is very disappointed, because he wants a notable post at the king’s court.
Thomas More says, “You’re a fine teacher – even a great one!” But Rich fires back, “And if I was, who would know it?”
The wise Thomas More responds, “You, your pupils, your friends, and God would know it. Not a bad group at all!”
The Pharisees and the Church
That story is helpful for appreciating today’s gospel.
Jesus is chiding the religious leaders of his day and advising his followers to live differently. Now, we see this and all passages of Scripture as the living Word of God.
That means that in some way it speaks to us today – to our Church in general, to the leaders and all of us in ministry, and really to all of us. I hear Jesus giving us three pieces of guidance.
1. Practice What You Preach
First, Jesus says: Do what the scribes and Pharisees say, but don’t follow their example, because they don’t practice what they preach.
The point is that there must be a consistency between our words and our actions. This is crucial especially for the ministers and leaders of our Church.
When there is a failure in this – as there has been – we undermine the Word of God. In our vocation, the message is bound up with the messenger.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous American author in the nineteenth century, once said, “Who you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you are saying.” We, as ministers of the Church, need to be working as much as anyone else to practice what we preach by who we are as persons.
2. Lead and Do Not Burden
Second, Jesus puts down the religious leaders of his day for placing burdens on people and not positively leading them to God.
When we only present God as a judge and punisher, we do a disservice to God or Jesus. When we only make others feel bad, guilty, or ashamed, then we are simply placing burdens on them.
Instead of that, we need to present God as Jesus reveals him to us – as love and as loving each of us. And we need to see each other and ourselves as beloved, as the beloved daughters and sons of God.
And then, with that as the foundation, we need to present faith in a way that doesn’t put people down or weigh them down, but instead lifts us up and leads us on in a positive direction. I think this is what Jesus means when he says in another place, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
3. Recognize God and Not Self
Finally, Jesus puts down the religious leaders of his day for seeking recognition.
One of the ways they are doing this is in their use of titles – “Rabbi, Father and Teacher.”Jesus does not seem upset just by the titles.
He is upset because people are using titles to draw attention to themselves and not to God who is the real “Rabbi and Father and Teacher.” And so, we must be clear about how we use titles – like “Bishop, Father, and Deacon.”
If the titles designate a role and they help with relationships, fine. But when we allow them to put some of us above or beyond others, then they are not leading us to God, and the way we use them is not okay.
Conclusion
Maybe it all boils down to the last statement that Jesus speaks today.
“Those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Those who know that they are human and that they remain persons on a journey along with everyone else – they will be close to God and lead others to God.
