20231105 BEING GOOD MENTORS FOR OTHERS
05 November 2023, Sunday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
irst reading |
Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10 © |
You have strayed from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your teaching
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?
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 130(131) © |
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.
Second reading |
1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13 © |
We were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives
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.
Gospel Acclamation | 1S3:9,Jn6:68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt23:9,10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You have only one Father, and he is in heaven;
you have only one Teacher, the Christ!
Alleluia!
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.’
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 are 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 centre 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 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 to 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 behaviour 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 His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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