20160223 CHRISTIAN LEADERS MUST POINT OTHERS TO JESUS
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Isaiah
1:10,16-20 ©
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Hear the word of the
Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the command
of our God,
you people of
Gomorrah.
‘Wash, make yourselves
clean.
Take your wrong-doing
out of my sight.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good,
search for justice,
help the oppressed,
be just to the
orphan,
plead for the widow.
‘Come now, let us
talk this over,
says the Lord.
Though your sins are
like scarlet,
they shall be as
white as snow;
though they are red
as crimson,
they shall be like
wool.
‘If you are willing
to obey,
you shall eat the
good things of the earth.
But if you persist in
rebellion,
the sword shall eat
you instead.’
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Psalm
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Psalm 49:8-9,16-17,21,23
©
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I will show God’s
salvation to the upright.
‘I find no fault with
your sacrifices,
your
offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more
bullocks from your farms,
nor goats
from among your herds.
I will show God’s
salvation to the upright.
‘But how
can you recite my commandments
and take
my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my
law
and throw
my words to the winds,
I will show God’s
salvation to the upright.
‘You do this, and
should I keep silence?
Do you
think that I am like you?
A sacrifice of
thanksgiving honours me
and I
will show God’s salvation to the upright.’
I will show God’s
salvation to the upright.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt4:17
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Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
Repent, says the
Lord,
for the kingdom of
heaven is close at hand.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
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Or
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Ezk18:31
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Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
Shake off all your
sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a
new heart and a new spirit.
Glory and praise to
you, O Christ!
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Gospel
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Matthew 23:1-12 ©
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Addressing the people
and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair
of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say;
but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they
preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will
they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to
attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like
wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the
synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people
call them Rabbi.
‘You,
however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one
master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father,
since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow
yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’
CHRISTIAN
LEADERS MUST POINT OTHERS TO JESUS
The
scripture readings today target specifically the leaders of Israel and the
religious leaders during the time of Jesus. How do we behave and conduct ourselves as
leaders? In the first reading, the leaders of Sodom and Gomorrah
certainly were not acting on behalf of the people. Instead of serving
them, they were doing evil, committing injustices and oppressing the poor and
the helpless. That was why the Lord was not happy with the leaders of
Israel. The Lord demanded that they stopped the evil and wrongful things
they were doing. “Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice,
help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plea for the widow.”
In
the gospel, the Jewish leaders, whilst not doing evil, did not serve God with
the right motives.
They were pointing people to themselves instead of leading them to
God. They cared more for their interests than that of the
people. They were more concerned about the impression they were making on
the people than changing their hearts. They sought respect, glory and
honour from the people. “Everything they do is done to attract attention, like
wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place
of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted
obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.”
Their hearts were not with God. Whilst apparently serving God and His
people, the real motive was about themselves. For this reason, Jesus
called them hypocrites because of their lack of sincerity. They were not
people who were seeking to be authentic to what they taught or believed.
There is a big difference between those who seek and strive to live a holy life
but unable to achieve it and those who make no efforts to live a life of
integrity. Jesus condemned only the hypocrites, not the sinners.
Secondly,
they did not walk the talk. They lacked self-awareness. “The scribes and the Pharisees
occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen
to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not
practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s
shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!” This is
true for many of us leaders, teachers and parents. We are good at laying
down rules for those under our charge but we ourselves do not even observe
them. How can we ever earn respect from people if we do not or are unable
to do what we tell them? Without moral authority, we cannot command or teach
effectively. I always find it amusing when I hear leaders telling their
subordinates that they must obey when they cannot obey their own superiors
themselves; or parents telling their children not to quarrel when they are
quarreling with their spouse; or someone telling others to forgive when they
themselves are so unforgiving and vindictive!
As a
result, they overshadow the Lord and hinder others from coming to God. They are not leading people to
God but to themselves. Many have become resentful of God and stopped
going to Church because of the hypocrites in their lives. They cannot
accept that such people, especially if they are Church leaders, whether
clerical, lay or religious, could act in such a way that is totally opposed to
what they preach and teach. When such things happen, they not only lose
faith in God but become enemies of the Church, taking revenge in return.
This
is what Jesus meant when He said we should not be called “master, teacher or
father.” He
said, “You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you
have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth
your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you
allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the
Christ.” This should not be interpreted literally; otherwise we cannot
even address our parents as “Father” or mother even; and by extension calling
the priests their spiritual “Father.” Only fundamentalists will come to
such a conclusion.
What
Jesus wanted to remind us rather is that whether we are teachers or masters or
parents, we are called to lead those under our care to the one and only Master
and Teacher, who is Jesus Christ and the source of life and divine providence
which is our Heavenly Father. We are all God’s representatives only because we
are not the true teacher, the true father and the true master. We fall
short of what we are supposed to be, that is, to reflect the different faces of
God in the way we relate to others in daily life. Nevertheless, we should
not be discouraged so long as we keep our eyes focused on the Lord.
God does not condemn us for our weaknesses but for our insincerity in wanting
to walk in truth and in love, for the lack of integrity in our lives.
This is what the Lord says to the psalmist, “Come now, let us talk this over,
says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are
willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you persist
in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.” We are not expected to be
perfect like God because we cannot. But we must, with His grace, work at
becoming more like Christ our master and teacher; and God our Father in love
and compassion.
So
during this season of Lent, let us be watchful that we do not perform the
spiritual exercises of fasting, penance, prayers and almsgiving in such a way
as to draw attention to ourselves. We would have had our reward. Rather, such
penitential exercises must draw us closer to God so that we can become more
like Him. The Lord said, “I find no fault with your sacrifices, your
offerings are always before me. I do not ask more bullocks from your
farms, nor goats from among your herds. But how can you recite my
commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and
throw my words to the winds. You do this, and should I keep silence? Do you
think that I am like you? A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me and I will
show God’s salvation to the upright.” God does not need our sacrifices
and our penance. He does not enjoy seeing us suffer or be deprived
of food and luxuries. But He wants a change of heart, a conversion so
that we are capable of living an integrated life, a life of love, compassion
and generosity. Unless we live a selfless life, always living for God and
others, then we will not find true happiness in life. So long as we are
concerned about our own interests, our public image, our status and prestige,
we remain slaves of the world. Jesus warns us, “Anyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
What
we are called to do is to be a servant that leads others to the Lord. Jesus said, “The greatest among
you must be your servant.” Only when we serve humbly and graciously
without drawing attention to self, can we be set free from fear.
Anyone who serves that way is always full of joy because like John the Baptist,
he decreases so that the Lord increases. There is no greater joy in life
than to make someone happy, and knowing that we have done our part, we can then
depart and bring that joy in us to others. Indeed, we all
know that we only love and remember those who truly care for us, especially
when we are down and out. Why should we be bothered about those who are
powerful, famous, rich and influential when they are not living for society or
for us? The one who serves is always the greatest, not the one who is
served! This is because he displays the capacity to love and care.
The one who serves himself is the most pitiable person because he only loves
himself. But we cannot love ourselves directly, only indirectly by loving
and caring for others. This is the joy that the world cannot give.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore
© All Rights Reserved
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