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1.Malach1:
14-2, 8-10
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2.1Thessalonians
2: 7-9,13
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Gospel:
Matthew 23: 1-12
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" In Christ all we are
brothers and sisters"
A story is told about a
group of African missionaries who were sent to work in a diocese in Zambia.
These missionaries on arrival they discovered that almost all the missionaries
in the diocese were Americans. The American missionaries called the bishop, who
was African, by his first name. The newly arrived African missionaries thought
that this was inappropriate and decided to change it. They thought the people
to call the bishop " My Lord." This was new to the People but they
were ready to learn. One day a woman came to see the bishop and the person
she met was one of the American priests. She asked him, " Where is Our Lord?"
to which the priestly gleefully replied,
" Our Lord is in the tabernacle."
Vatican II Council
brought much change and renewal in the Church. But it is very interesting that the area of titles and way of addressing
church leaders has undergone practically no change whatsoever. A priest is
still called " Reverend Father," a bishop " My Lord" or
" Your Excellency," a cardinal " Your Eminence," the head
of a religious community is still the " superior." One wonders how
the church allowed the use of these high-sounding titles to develop among the
faithful, given the fact that the church has always read today's gospel which
cautions them against the use of titles that reflect a superior- inferior relationship.
The words of Jesus
should not be taken literally. The message of Christ in today's gospel has more
to do with attitudes and behavior than with the use of words and terminologies.
Take the case of a self-styled prophet who founded a church, asked his
followers to address him as "brother," yet sits on a throne and have
his " brothers and sisters" come to him walking on their knees. Or
the case of high level government officials who are called ministers, which
literally means servants, yet this does not make them humbler. The law of
Christ has more to do with attitudes and behavior than with just words.
Attachment to power and
social esteem- Love to have the place of
honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with
respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi ( Matthew
23: 6-7)- Compromises the Christ -like witness of the servant of God. However,
here comes the good news: It does not nullify the divine authority of the
office. The person occupying a teaching office among the people of God may be
personally unfaithfully, not practicing what they teach. But God is faithful
and guarantees that the teaching office
itself is not contaminated with error, and so the teaching itself remains sound
and valid.
What Christ want to
teach us is that our concern should not be after honors, worldly dignity and
crave for first places in gatherings. If we extend our helping hands to others
in need, we should not be proud of it that it is coming from us but rather, we should announce that
it is coming from God because we don't have it as our own. We just do our job
and not expect any return.
Let's us ask ourselves
one question that is, why Jesus forbids His disciples to use these titles: father and teacher? Even St. Paul called
himself as the father of the Corinthians ( 1Cor4:15)? It is because these can
be abused and misused. It is in the abused sense, these titles are forbidden of
being used. Many used their titles, positions in government and organizations
and honors to threaten, to look down other people, to exploit, deprive and
oppress other people. What is happening
now? There is abuse of power especially those in the government and you can
cite examples even by yourselves.
The message of today's
gospel is a clear warning also to all who hold office and authority in God's
church whether as bishops, priests and superiors. Instead of being servants of
all servants of God, they become their masters.
Nevertheless, this
gospel is applicable to all of us who are here. Like for example, the parents
used their authority as parents to justify what they are doing instead of
listening to their children's plea. For our government official, instead of
fighting with each other, insulting each other and hitting below the belt,
pocketing the money for projects because of SOP ( Standard Operating
Procedure), how about implementing projects that are for people so that people
may love and support them?
We are invited to
understand that it is service that matters. If we want to become great human
beings and outstanding Christians, then we must serve the rest. Our service
might be taken in the form of meeting the material and physical needs of the
poor, like washing, or cooking meals etc. Another form of service might be to
meet the spiritual and faith needs of others like giving good examples, living
simple lifestyle and many more.
The reading ends with a
call for evangelical humility on the part of Christian leaders. What is the
evangelical humility? It is the recognition that those we evangelize or
minister to are not below us but are, in fact, equal to us in the eyes of God.
With this humility, preaching becomes not talking down to the people but
sharing with them our common struggle to understand and live God's word. With
evangelical humility the basic pattern of relationship between ministers and
the people of God whom they serve becomes not that of father-son or
teacher-student, but brother-brother, brother-sister or friend-friend.
For
in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith... There is no longer
Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and
female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus
( Galatians 3:26-28)
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