HOMILY FOR THE 13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A. (3)

PRAYER



HOMILY FOR THE 13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

THEME: Who or what do you worship?

BY: Fr. Anthony O. EZEAPUTA, MA.

 

In our gospel reading (Matthew 10:37–42), Jesus declares, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Unfortunately, this declaration of Jesus is one of the favorite biblical verses for those who often hijack a biblical verse and twist it out of context to suit their purpose. They are often referred to as “biblical textjackers.”

Biblical textjackers are also big fans of Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” It always comes in handy for them whenever their strange views, malpractices, or bad behavior are challenged. They will often label the dissenting people as intolerant and quote Matthew 7:1, “Judge not!” to gaslight the other person.

In fact, I have heard some of them quote the famous line from the American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur, “Only God can judge me.” Nobody else!” in religious gatherings. It is not just unbiblical and incorrect to say so, but it is also Tupac theology, not Christian theology.

But Matthew 7:1 is not a warning against calling out bad behavior or correcting a neighbor. Instead, it is a warning against self-righteousness and hypocrisy. The message is simple: if we’re going to correct someone, then we must expect to be held to the same standard.

To buttress the message, Jesus adds, “For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). If we judge others without mercy and compassion, then we can expect to be judged in the same way.

Other favorite biblical verses of biblical textjackers include “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles” (Matthew 5:41), “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” (Psalm 105:15), “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22), “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17).

Others include, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:22), “God has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills” (Romans 9:18), “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you” (Jeremiah 29:11–13), “Where two or three are gathered” (Matthew 18:20), “An eye for an eye” (Exodus 21:23–25), and “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11), among many others. These biblical verses, if interpreted out of context, may be disastrous.

By the way, there are acceptable ways to interpret the Bible without falling into the error of biblical textjacking. Investigate the intention of the sacred writers and what God wanted to convey through their words; know the literary form of the text—is it prose or poetry?—the time and culture of the writer; and the customary and characteristic styles of speaking, writing, and narrating stories at the time.

Additionally, the Holy Scripture must be read and interpreted in its sacred spirit; the content, the unity of the whole of Scripture, the living tradition of the whole Church, and the harmony that exists between elements of the faith must be considered. Finally, we should keep in mind that the truth and holiness of God in the Bible have been adapted into the human language with thoughtful concern for our weak human nature (Dei Verbum, nos. 11–13).

Obviously, when Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me,” he doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t love our family, parents, and children. Neither does Jesus intend to incite us against our loved ones and relatives.

Of course, there are people who have not done so well with their parental duties, fraternal love, or marital obligations because they couldn’t strike a healthy balance between their love for God, their religious obligations, and their family, parental, and marital duties.

For example, it is inappropriate to skip work without reasonable justification or permission to attend religious or church events while you should be at work. You’re going to get fired! Both our civil commitments and religious obligations are important, but we must be wise enough to know which to prioritize at any given time.

RELATED: HOMILY FOR THE 13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.

Matthew 10:37 is specifically directed to the twelve disciples of Jesus and, by extension, to us. Jesus wants to call our attention to a fundamental question: “Who or what do you worship?”

The English word “worship” comes from an older English word that means “ascribe worth to.” One can imagine that most people would say that they worship God. But wherever you invest your love, time, talents, money, energy, emotions, and enthusiasm, that is what you worship.

If you worship anything or anyone else apart from God, you are guilty of idolatry. That includes placing something as sacred as your family ahead of God. So, Jesus is saying that the call to discipleship is preeminent; it must come before every other commitment in our lives, even the love that we have for our parents and our children. After all, it is our love of God that we ought to share with our neighbors.

Today, let us understand that biblical verses should not be quoted out of context or manipulated to suit our purposes. Instead, let us learn how to interpret the Bible and apply it correctly and in context. And let us ask God to give us the grace to take away anything or anybody competing for his preeminence in our lives. Amen!

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