🙏 SUNDAY INSIGHTS - THE 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 🙏

First Reading - Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10

Second Reading - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13 

Gospel - Matthew 23:1-12

The story has been told of a lion who was very proud. He decided to take a walk one day to demonstrate his mastery over all the other creatures. He strutted his way through the forest until he came across a bear. “WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE, BEAR?” “Why of course you are, mighty lion.” He went on until he found the tiger. “WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE, TIGER?” ‘Why you are, great lion.” Next the lion found the elephant. “WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE, ELEPHANT?” The elephant instantly grabbed the lion with his trunk and spun him around a few times and slammed him to the ground. He then stepped on him a few times, picked him up and dunked him in the water and then threw him up against a tree. The lion staggered to his feet and said, “LOOK, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER, YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET SO UPSET!’” — The lion was the one who wasn’t getting it. He was missing the truth, just as were many of the scribes and Pharisees and Jewish priests to whom Jesus gives an elephantine shock treatment in today’s Gospel.

The central theme of today’s readings is a strong invitation and challenge to render humble, selfless, diligent, committed, loving service to others in the community without expecting honor or rewards in return. 

The first reading prepares us for the full force of Jesus’ warning by showing Malachi pouring out God’s curses on the unfaithful priests of his time — around 450 BC, after Judah’s return from exile in Babylon and the rebuilding of the Temple. The priests of this period were indifferent to their rituals and their teaching responsibilities, and were often unfair in the judgments they made about people. Through Malachi, the Lord God thunders, “You have turned aside from the way and have caused many to falter by your instruction… You do not keep my ways.” Further, the Lord God emphatically condemns the Temple priests for not teaching His messages and not carrying out His commands; He says to them, “I, therefore have made you contemptible and base before all the people.” Sad to say, many modern clerics of all denominations have a lot in common with the clerics of Malachi’s day. No wonder so many of our faithful go “outside the system” we’ve created in order to discover Who God really is, and what He really wants of them.

In the second reading, Paul tries to convince the Thessalonians that the message they received was not just human teaching, but rather the word of God. He reminds them that when he was among them, he was careful not to “sponge” on them and not even to ask them for his own livelihood. Unlike the Pharisees and Jewish teachers, Paul wanted to be a burden to no one, so the Thessalonians and the rest of Paul’s communities, experienced Jesus’ love through Paul’s love. Today, many priests, deacons and lectors are faithfully, humbly, and generously carrying on Jesus’ mission to the world as Paul did, sharing the word of God with those who believe. To do this, each prays and strives for the zeal and integrity of a life lived for Jesus, like Paul’s, and for Paul’s kind of leadership (like that of a shepherd for sheep, of or a father for his children), which nurtures mutual love between him and those to whom he speaks and freely offers loving service to all of them.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers a word of judgment against those religious leaders of his day who have been more concerned with self-promotion than with giving loving service to others. Christ-like leadership calls for integrity and honesty from all those in authority, whether priests, parents, teachers or politicians. There should be in leaders no double standards. Rather, there should grow a deep sense of equality with, and mutual respect between, leaders and those they rule. Each should seek to serve the other. Service, not status, is the mark of this new community, and true humility is the only position its members should seek.

Dear friends, we need to become servant leaders in a serving community: The Church is a servant community in which the hungry are to be filled; the ignorant are to be taught; the homeless to receive shelter; the sick to be cared for; the distressed, consoled; and the oppressed, set free so that they may more fully realize their human potential and more readily enjoy life with God. Hence, the leaders should have a spirit of humble service in thought, word and deed. “The measure of a true Christian is not how many servants he has, but how many people he serves.” 

We need to live the Faith we profess. Religious people are all too often like the Pharisees and scribes, laying heavy loads on other people’s shoulders without lifting a finger to help them. Instead of judging the poor, we should be serving them through our efforts for economic justice. Instead of criticizing those of other races, we should be serving them through our efforts for racial justice. Instead of ignoring the homeless, we should be serving them through efforts to supply them with adequate housing. We need to live the Faith we profess. Our Faith tells us that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Heavenly Father. The only way for us to practice our Faith is to build a human community of love and justice. 

We need to learn the art of self-examination, and accept the responsibilities which go with our titles. Instead of criticizing others for their failures, let us ask whether we are different from them in discharging our duties in the family and in the parish community. Let us remember that our titles should remind us of our specific responsibilities in society and our obligation to discharge them faithfully.