20171105
BEING GOOD MENTORS FOR OTHERS
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10 ©
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I am a great king, says the Lord of Hosts, and my name is feared
throughout the nations. And now, priests, this warning is for you. If you do
not listen, if you do not find it in your heart to glorify my name, says the
Lord of Hosts, I will send the curse on you and curse your very blessing. But
you, you have strayed from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your
teaching. You have destroyed the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of Hosts. And
so I in my turn have made you contemptible and vile in the eyes of the whole
people in repayment for the way you have not kept to my paths but have shown
partiality in your administration.
Have we not
all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why, then, do we break faith with
one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 130(131) ©
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Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
A weaned child on its mother’s breast,
even so is my soul.
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
both now and forever.
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
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Second reading
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1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13 ©
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Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt
so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that
we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as
well. Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and
day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s
Good News to you.
Another
reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the
message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it
really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living
power among you who believe it.
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Gospel Acclamation
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1S3:9,Jn6:68
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Mt23:9,10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
You have only one Father, and he is in heaven;
you have only one Teacher, the Christ!
Alleluia!
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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.’
BEING GOOD MENTORS FOR OTHERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Mal 1:14 – 2:2.8-10; Ps 131; 1 Th 2:7-9.13; Mt 23:1-12 ]
Among the
major themes in the book of Malachi is the theme of God’s love. His love for us
is so great even when we disobey Him. But our disobedience will cause us
to suffer at the end of the day. He wants to bless us with His peace and
love. What causes us to lose our peace is the lack of integrity in our
lives. It is the hypocritical and careless living out of our faith that
denies our love for God. In both the first reading and the gospel,
hypocrisy and the lack of authentic living is condemned. This is particularly
true of leaders. This would include religious leaders, parents and
leaders in society. If society has degenerated in values today, it is
because we have failed in mentoring our young to follow our footsteps.
What people are looking for is witnesses, not teachers.
Who are those
that the Lord condemns? Firstly, when we do not glorify God in our
lives. This was the case of the priests in the Old
Testament. They knew what God required of them but they did not do what
the Law required. God was not the center of their lives. They were
not honouring God by their lives. It was all about themselves and their
convenience. This too was the case of the Pharisees and scribes in the
gospel. Jesus said, “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.” The Lord warned them, “If you do not listen, if you do not find
it in your heart to glorify my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send the
curse on you and curse your very blessing.”
Our lives
must glorify God in all that we do. Whatever we say and do must be an inspiration to others not
so that they glorify us but that they too would live in such a way that their
lives give glory to God. As Jesus said in the gospel, “In the same way,
let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and
give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:16)
In the gospel, Jesus 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.” Indeed, our task as leaders and parents is
to help others to recognize who their true Father and teacher are. Hence,
as leaders, we must always be conscious that we set the right examples for
those under our care. If today our young people are irresponsible in the
way they live their lives, it is because they imitate the bad examples of the
adults.
Secondly, we
must ask whether we are obstacles to faith. Do we prevent others from
entering into the fullness of life by our neglect and laziness? Leaders are meant to
show the way to God and to life. To do this, we ourselves must be well
formed in our faith and in how we should live our lives responsibly. We
must take care of our health and be responsible in our work. We must be
exemplary in our lifestyle so that we can show the way. This was what the
priests in the time of the prophet failed to do. “You have strayed from
the way; you have caused many to stumble by your teaching. You have destroyed
the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts.” When they themselves
strayed from the truth and from the Word of God, how could they not mislead
others by their teachings? By their neglect of the Word of God and insensitivity
to the Holy Spirit, they allowed their own selfishness to control their lives.
When we lose
faith, what will happen to our children? If many of our children lack faith in
God, it is because their parents are not well instructed in their faith.
Unless leaders take the Word of God seriously and imbibe in the Word of God,
meditate on it and reflect it in their lives, they cannot teach others the
fullness of truth. The quality of our children’s faith is very much
dependent on their parents. Unfortunately, many of us, parents and
Catholic leaders, do not take our faith seriously. Because we
ourselves lack faith in God and do not know our own faith and the Church’s
teachings and, lesser still, the Word of God, since we hardly pray, then the
values we give to our children are values that we learnt from the world and not
from the Word of God.
Thirdly,
there is a lack of integrity in our lives. There is a dichotomy between
faith and life. Sometimes, leaders and parents teach the right things but
what we teach is not consonant with what we do. If we leaders do not
sincerely strive to live up to the teachings of the gospel, how can we have the
authority to teach others? Many children no longer have respect even for
their parents and teachers because they see too obviously the hypocrisy in
them. They tell the children to be hardworking, responsible and be
generous, but they themselves are acting contrary to what they teach.
They tell their children to pray and to attend Church services, but they
themselves do not. When faith and life are dichotomized, it causes
the young to be disillusioned about the reality of God.
Fourthly,
leaders who practise
discrimination cause those under their charge to resent them. The
priests in the Old Testament practised partiality in the way they administered
the laws and in their decision-making. They allowed influential people to
break the laws because they were dependent on their financial and moral
support. They were afraid to confront them simply because they were wealthy
and powerful. When they practised double standards based on wealth and
position, instead of acting on behalf of God, they caused people to lose faith
in Him. This is the charge of the prophet Malachi against them.
“And so I in my turn have made you contemptible and vile in the eyes of the
whole people in repayment for the way you have not kept to my paths but have
shown partiality in your administration. Have we not all one Father? Did
not one God create us? Why, then, do we break faith with one another, profaning
the covenant of our ancestors?” Such double standards at home, in the office
and at Church cause many to resent their leaders because of the injustices they
suffer.
Against such
bad examples of leadership, the second reading presents to us the model of a
leader. St Paul acted like a mother to his people. He was aware
that he was called to nurture them in the faith. He did this not
simply by teaching them the Word of God but he did it by his very
life. He wrote, “Like a mother feeding and looking after her own
children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love
you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but
our whole lives as well.” He put the lives of his people as his priority,
seeking to protect their faith. All he wanted was to help the believers
to mature in their faith so that they could stand on their own and be an
influence and witness to others. His love for the people was genuine
because he did not simply teach but gave his entire life to the people.
So as not to tax his people, he even took upon himself to take care of his
financial needs and worked to provide for himself. Such is the model of
mentorship that St Paul gave to us. He was at the service of the people
and not concerned about himself.
Indeed, we
can be sure that it was not simply because of what St Paul taught but what he
did and how he lived his life for God and for others that inspired the people
to believe in his message. “Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that
as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you
accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking;
and it is still a living power among you who believe it.” Only St Paul could
write to them, “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and
blameless was our behavior to you believers; for you know how, like a
father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and
charged you to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom
and glory.” (1 Th 2:10-12) Can we say this to those people under our
care? Can we honestly say to them that we love them like their own
parents? How do people look at us in the way we live out our faith? Are
we inspiring them to love God or turn away from Him? This is the question
we need to ask ourselves.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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