31^st Sunday in O.T.; November 5, 2017

Mal 1:14b-2:2b,8-10   Ps 131 1Thes 2:7b-9,13   Mt 23:1-12

Deacon Jim McFadden; (New) Folsom Prison

 

         Before we look at today’s Gospel reading in which Jesus denounces the Scribes and the Pharisees—the religious establishment of his time—it’s good to pay attention to what Paul said in his First Letter to the Thessalonians: namely, as we draw near to the Gospel, let us do so “not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thes 2:13). When we do so, we can accept with faith the warning Jesus is offering in today’s Gospel, which is directed not only to the religious establishment, but to us as well as we strive to conform the way we live to the Good News.

In today’s passage Jesus gets in the face of the scribes and Pharisees, who were the teachers of the community, because their conduct was flagrantly at odds with the teaching they so rigorously taught others. Jesus put it simply that they “preach, but do not practice” (Mt 23:3); instead, “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and to lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger” (v. 24).   Good teaching must always be received, but it loses its power to motivate when it is contradicted by inconsistent behavior.

Saint Charles Borromeo, a 16^th century reformer, put it succinctly:

“Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head” (From a sermon given during the last synod he attended.)

Why the disconnect? Enjoying positions of authority, sometimes teachers of the faith can assume a paternalistic role with the faithful. I am the “professional religious,” I am here to take care of you, so receive what I am dispensing. Or, it can take the form of authoritarianism: do as I say, not because it is comprehensible, convincing, and compelling, but because I say so. Such paternalism and authoritarianism is usually accompanied by clericalism: that is, clerical privilege in which the ordain enjoyed their status, privilege, and perks associated with their office. In the past, it could take the form of cardinals adorned in long, flowing red robes trimmed in ermin and popes being carried into papal audiences on a portable throne.

These attitudes and behaviors remind us we must be ever vigilant in resisting clericalism, which is not good for the ordained, nor for the Church as a whole. With Jesus, we acknowledge the leadership role of the ordained and that the Church is hierarchically governed. At the same time, he says: “practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do” (v. 3).

Jesus’ attitude is exactly the opposite: he is the first to practice the Great Commandment which he teaches to everyone. Indeed, there is a one-to-one correspondence to what Jesus preaches and how he relates to us. That’s why he can say that his burden is light and easy because he helps us carry it (cf. Mt 11:29-30).

But, why do we fall short? Why don’t are lives consistently conform to what we profess? One reason is obvious: we’re all sinners; so, its just not possible to practice everything we preach. To be sure, we can envision a future in which the Church is radically living the Good News in every corner of the human enterprise. We can have deep inner revelations that powerfully show us the way we should live our life.

But, when we try to live them out, we bump into the harsh reality of who we are existentially. Our preaching/teaching is conditioned by our personality, our lifelong habits, our character, and our history of being too accommodating to secular culture with its emphasis on individualism, self-promotion, and consumerism.

So, practicing what we preach is a goal which we have to strive to attain. But, if that is going to become a reality we have to repent of our practice—the way we live. There is the Good News and there is the way we go about our lives. There is a disparity and we have to own up to it. But we’re not going to throw in the towel. Rather, we go back to the drawing board, which means we purify ourselves of the stuff that keeps us from living the truth we profess embracing the vision of Jesus that is before us. Being repentant is not a stigma, branding us as failed Christians. No, it just comes with the territory of following something that we on occasion betray. That’s why Christ has blessed us with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

So, when we preach and teach the Good News, when we promote a community of love and solidarity, let us also be realistic and keep the sackcloth and ashes handy. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practicing and Repenting

31^st Sunday in O.T.; November 5, 2017

Mal 1:14b-2:2b,8-10   Ps 131 1Thes 2:7b-9,13   Mt 23:1-12

Deacon Jim McFadden; (New) Folsom Prison

 

         Before we look at today’s Gospel reading in which Jesus denounces the Scribes and the Pharisees—the religious establishment of his time—it’s good to pay attention to what Paul said in his First Letter to the Thessalonians: namely, as we draw near to the Gospel, let us do so “not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thes 2:13). When we do so, we can accept with faith the warning Jesus is offering in today’s Gospel, which is directed not only to the religious establishment, but to us as well as we strive to conform the way we live to the Good News.

In today’s passage Jesus gets in the face of the scribes and Pharisees, who were the teachers of the community, because their conduct was flagrantly at odds with the teaching they so rigorously taught others. Jesus put it simply that they “preach, but do not practice” (Mt 23:3); instead, “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and to lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger” (v. 24).   Good teaching must always be received, but it loses its power to motivate when it is contradicted by inconsistent behavior.

Saint Charles Borromeo, a 16^th century reformer, put it succinctly:

“Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head” (From a sermon given during the last synod he attended.)

Why the disconnect? Enjoying positions of authority, sometimes teachers of the faith can assume a paternalistic role with the faithful. I am the “professional religious,” I am here to take care of you, so receive what I am dispensing. Or, it can take the form of authoritarianism: do as I say, not because it is comprehensible, convincing, and compelling, but because I say so. Such paternalism and authoritarianism is usually accompanied by clericalism: that is, clerical privilege in which the ordain enjoyed their status, privilege, and perks associated with their office. In the past, it could take the form of cardinals adorned in long, flowing red robes trimmed in ermin and popes being carried into papal audiences on a portable throne.

These attitudes and behaviors remind us we must be ever vigilant in resisting clericalism, which is not good for the ordained, nor for the Church as a whole. With Jesus, we acknowledge the leadership role of the ordained and that the Church is hierarchically governed. At the same time, he says: “practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do” (v. 3).

Jesus’ attitude is exactly the opposite: he is the first to practice the Great Commandment which he teaches to everyone. Indeed, there is a one-to-one correspondence to what Jesus preaches and how he relates to us. That’s why he can say that his burden is light and easy because he helps us carry it (cf. Mt 11:29-30).

But, why do we fall short? Why don’t are lives consistently conform to what we profess? One reason is obvious: we’re all sinners; so, its just not possible to practice everything we preach. To be sure, we can envision a future in which the Church is radically living the Good News in every corner of the human enterprise. We can have deep inner revelations that powerfully show us the way we should live our life.

But, when we try to live them out, we bump into the harsh reality of who we are existentially. Our preaching/teaching is conditioned by our personality, our lifelong habits, our character, and our history of being too accommodating to secular culture with its emphasis on individualism, self-promotion, and consumerism.

So, practicing what we preach is a goal which we have to strive to attain. But, if that is going to become a reality we have to repent of our practice—the way we live. There is the Good News and there is the way we go about our lives. There is a disparity and we have to own up to it. But we’re not going to throw in the towel. Rather, we go back to the drawing board, which means we purify ourselves of the stuff that keeps us from living the truth we profess embracing the vision of Jesus that is before us. Being repentant is not a stigma, branding us as failed Christians. No, it just comes with the territory of following something that we on occasion betray. That’s why Christ has blessed us with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

So, when we preach and teach the Good News, when we promote a community of love and solidarity, let us also be realistic and keep the sackcloth and ashes handy. Amen.