HOMILY FOR 31ST SUNDAY, IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
THEME: Humility as a Key to Noble Religious Service
By: Fr. Celestine Muonwe
Malachy 1:14b-2:2b.8-10: Search for Religious Purity
Malachy 1:14b-2:2b.8-10; 1 Thes.2:7-9.13; Mt. 23:1-12
The book of Malachi (568-433 B.C.) is placed as the last book of the Prophets in the Old Testament. The name, Malachi means “My [that is, God’s] messenger.” Hence, God’s messengers are a major theme of the book of Malachi (see Malachi 2:7 and 3:1). Malachi was a post-exilic prophet, who witnessed the rebuilding of the temple, popularly known as the Zerubbabel temple after the Babylonian exile. A major theme in the Book of Prophet Malachi is spiritual purity. This is because when the Jews first returned to Judea from their captivity in Babylon, they rigorously guarded against pagan idol worship in their land. However, over time, they gradually gave in to this sin, and consequently, began to lose sight of God’s purposes for them. It was during this period of time that Malachi was sent to instruct and guide God’s people toward a more pure life. He revealed the spiritual and moral shortcomings of the priests and common people alike. Malachi recognises that the greatest harm to the well-being of the society was religious corruption, the type of corruption that targets the spiritual leadership of the people.
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God, through Malachi, strongly rebuked the priests, threatening to curse them for not glorifying His holy name, for they have turned away from the right part: “You have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the law by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,…you have not kept My ways but have shown partiality in the law” (Malachi 2:8-9). The consequences of not heeding God’s word by priests is that they will be despised and abased before all the people. The word of Malachy is crucial for us today in Nigeria, where religious corruption has led to prosperity Gospels that extol financial gains as the only principal purpose of following God; truth preaching and calling of people to repentance and conversion is neglected at the altar of endless flows of God’s blessings and endless favours, thereby declaring an unbalanced way of communicating God’s word. Preachers are being moved by the people and influenced by the world and its standards to preach only what the people want to hear and never the undiluted truth of the Gospel. Many preachers end up preaching themselves instead of Christ that has called them, they are mainly after the gain of popularity and vain-glory among the people. Fund-raising and the drive for financial ends are exalted far beyond the word of God. The rich are worshipped, favoured and given status and undue honour in the Church, while the poor are neglected and marginalized. The clergy allow themselves to be influenced by politicians with money during elections, making themselves spoke persons for them, and their campaign agents among the faithful. A famous saying rightly points out: “corruptio optimi pessima”; Corruption of the best is the worst form of corruption.
1 Thes.2:7-9.13: Paul’s Example of Self-Sacrifice in Religious Service
This letter deals mainly with Paul’s response to some among the Thessalonians, who accused Paul of ministering out of self interest. Paul simply asks the Christians in Thessalonica to remember the gentle character of his ministry among them. When other Christians might have made demands as apostles of Christ on the Thessalonians, Paul, Silas and Timothy, were among the Thessalonians to give something to them, not to take something from them. They were gentle among the Thessalonians, Paul was like a nursing mother, who only looks to give to her child, therefore, he voluntarily, out of love, submitted to them.
Paul’s self-support and hard work among the Thessalonians demonstrated that his motives were pure, not motivated by self-interest or love. He was pleased to impart to them, not only the Gospel of God, but also, his own life: “For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.” Paul was not however, opposed to receiving financial support. He accepted support from believers in Philippi who sent him gifts (Philippians 4:13-19).
Mt. 23:1-12 : The Search for Honour and Vain Glory as Opposed to Religious Service
In the previous chapter of 22, we see how the Pharisees and Sadducees tried three times to entrap Jesus, but failed. The setting remains the temple in the present pericope. Jesus speaks to the crowds and his disciples concerning the spiritual failure of the scribes and Pharisees (23:1-36). For Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees “sit on Moses’ seat”, therefore, they teach by Moses’ authority—the highest authority available to a teacher of the law. In spite of their personal failings, Jesus does not want His disciples to lose the treasure guarded by the scribes and the Pharisees. They are, therefore, to listen to them and obey their words, but they are not to do what they do. The Pharisees and the scribes have been called by God to be servants of those who are illiterate, but they have treated the call as a privilege rather than a vocation, to a search for honor, rather than to servant-hood. On account of this warped understanding, the scribes and Pharisees commit three sins:
Firstly, “They preach, but do not practise”. According to Pope Paul VI, the modern world no longer listens to preachers alone, but to those who practise what they preach. Hence, when it comes to teaching, nothing is as effective as a good example and nothing as corrosive as a bad example. Teachers of scripture and the word of God, parents in their families, leaders at governments and civil societies, should have a special responsibility to model their behaviors in accordance with the message they teach, their personal conduct should provide a visible lesson. The failure of the scribes and Pharisees to practice what they preach, shows their lack of integrity, which undermines their work.
“Secondly, they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them” (v. 4). Hence, they see themselves as enforcers of high standards rather than helping people to attain those standards by their good examples. Hence, they manage to observe the people from their superior position, and feel disdain towards them, rather than compassion. They spend their days debating the fine points of the law, the good moral behaviours that needed to be done, and burden the people with their findings, and never lifts even a finger to help the people. In contrast to these men, Jesus offers an easy yoke, a light burden, and rest for the soul (11:29-30).
Thirdly, they do all “their works to be seen by men” (v. 5a). Therefore, the Pharisees and the scribes seek their own glory, rather than seeking to glorify God. They love and crave for the honor associated with their position. But Jesus says, “let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (5:16). Their love for honor manifests itself in several ways: “They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments” (v. 5b). Phylacteries (also known as tephillin) are leather boxes containing one or more scrolls inscribed with passages of scripture in accordance with the law: “Therefore you shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for symbols between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18). In obedience to this law, the scribes and Pharisees wear phylacteries on their forehead and their arm, as a reminder of the law of God. The problem is not that the scribes and Pharisees observe these Torah laws, but that they seek personal honor for doing that. On the contrary, Jesus teaches us to give alms, to pray, and to fast in secret (6:1-8, 16-18) so that “your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you” (6:18). Hence, the people who seek to practice public piety to gain public honor will “have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (6:1).
The scribes and Pharisees also “love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues” (v. 6). They equally love salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men” (v. 7). Therefore, Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of loving too much, the adulation and praises of people, of enjoying too much being called “Rabbi, Rabbi.” The problem is the seductive nature of titles and honours, which can lead to pride, that is capable of derailing those who have been called to humble service. For Jesus, titles and honourific names should be avoided among the community of the faithful, instead the faithful should see themselves as brothers, and address themselves as brothers and sisters.
Jesus further speaks of the great reversal that would accompany the life in the kingdom of God. It is a message in which the greatest will be the servant of all, since “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” The Pharisees and scribes have failed in the message of the kingdom, they possess none of the “littleness” of little children. In their pride and pomposity, they are like the camel who cannot go through the eye of a needle—or the rich person who finds it difficult to enter the kingdom of God (19:24). For Jesus, we should not be like them, but remain as humble servants (vv. 11-12).
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