20230307 CHRISTIAN LEADERS MUST POINT OTHERS TO JESUS
07 March 2023, Tuesday, 2nd Week of Lent
First reading |
Isaiah 1:10,16-20 © |
Cease to do evil; learn to do good
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.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 49(50):8-9,16-17,21,23 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:17 |
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!
Or: | Ezk18:31 |
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!
Gospel | Matthew 23:1-12 © |
They do not practise what they preach
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
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 1:10,16-20; Ps 50:8-9,16-17,21,23; Mt 23:1-12]
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 effort 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 quarrelling 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 have 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 servants that lead 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 His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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