Reflection on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time year A. Mal 1, 14b-2,2b.8-10; Ps 130; 1Thes 2, 7b-9.13; Mt 23, 1-12.
PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
The strong words of Jesus against the Scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel and even the words of Malachi against the religious leaders of his time in the first reading, challenged me as a priest to examine myself. Am I convinced of what I preach and do I practice it in my daily life? Jesus.
Malachi realises warns the priests about their wrong behaviours and god even threatens to send a curse upon them for they have made the law an occasion of downfall instead of a means for salvation. How do you use the rules and laws of the Church or even the countries? Are they there to help us better serve God and one another or they have become burdens and means of enslavement?
Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and the Scribes who preach but they do not practice what they preach; they tie heaven burden to carry and only lay them upon people’s shoulders. They only act in order to be seen. They prefer eye service to heart service. This criticism of Jesus is indeed an invitation to us today to examine our ourselves leaders and disciples of Jesus. Jesus definitely challenges the way we live and share our christian faith as bishops, as priests, as parents, as any civil servant or any civil authority.
We are called to tell the world about Jesus, his love, our joy and his promises of eternity. How do we do this daily?
1)We must practice what we teach. Pope Paul VI: “The world needs witnesses more than it does teachers.” Heaven is our goal. Therefore to bring as many people as we can, we should make our lives the best sermon, the best homily, the best good news we bring to the people. People want more of our witnesses. A witness is a person who produces the evidence of what he has seen and heard. Am I convinced of the christian message? Do I live by it? How many people do I attract to / or send away from the Church because of my good or bad examples?
2) Taking Jesus as my teacher and Master. Jesus preached throughout his entire life by his own example. He did not only preach about compassion, but he showed his compassion; He did not only preach about love but he was the incarnation of love; he did not only speak about humility but he became man; he did not only preach about service but spent his life washing the feet of his disciples and doing everywhere. Jesus himself invites us in the Gospel to learn from his words and his life; to be imitators of Him. Paul in the second reading, shows us an example of how to preach the gospel by showing kindness, humility and loving service to the Thessalonians. Paul puts it in this way: “We were gentle among you as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our own lives as well”. Living as Jesus lived, will help others to see Jesus and follow then follow him.
Lord give the grace to follow you as the true founder of the Church. May I believe whatever I preach, live whatever I preach through the intercession of Mary our Mother! Amen.