Sunday, November 5, 2023

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Malachi 1:4-2:2.8-10; I Thessalonians 2:7-9.13; Matthew 23:1-12)

This gospel has some phrases that surprise us. Is it true that Jesus does not want us to call anyone “father,” not even our male parent? Could it be that we have to invent other titles for our teachers? Because they are commands from the Lord, we must investigate them seriously.

We know that in other contexts Jesus speaks with exaggerated language. He does not want to deceive us but to emphasize the importance of our attention to the matter at hand. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus tells his disciples that they have to hate their father, mother, children, etc. Experts assure us that he had no intention for us to hate our loved ones, but rather to always put him first. In this Gospel of Matthew Jesus commands, “'If then your hand or your foot causes you sin, cut it off and throw it away.'” He surely didn’t want us to hurt ourselves. He only desired that we do not sin. As an effective preacher that he was, Jesus used stinging language.

However, the Protestant reformers evidently thought otherwise. Martin Luther considered it all right to call a man “father” as long as it does not interfere with the glory of God. Due to the practice of calling his ministers “reverends” or “pastors”, it can be assumed that he meant that priests should not be called “fathers”. There are some Protestants and sometimes Catholics too who still refuse to call Catholic priests “fathers.” They are not necessarily being disrespectful. Perhaps they love the Lord so much that they take every word of him literally. However, a literal understanding is not always the best possible interpretation of Scripture.

Because the practice goes against the evangelical mandate, Catholic theologians have reflected deeply on the issue. They note how Paul in one of his letters calls himself “father” (I Cor 4:14-15) of the community he converted. Furthermore, Paul throughout his letters refers to his spiritual children. The ancient Church became accustomed to calling bishops “father.” St. Benedict designated the title not only to leaders of his communities (abbot is a form of father) but also to confessors. The reason he gave was that they are guardians of souls. For the same reason the Dominican and Franciscan friars were named “fathers” and in time all priests.

In the gospel Jesus gives a strong criticism of the Pharisees and scribes who exalt their importance in the eyes of the people. According to Jesus they wear pretentious clothing, occupy prominent positions in public, and show satisfaction when others greet them as “teachers.” Jesus' purpose is more than denouncing Jewish leadership. Above all, he wants to warn his disciples not to act like this in the Church he is founding.

Pope Francis with the synod on synodality laid the foundation for the Church to conform more to this purpose of Jesus. He sat the laity with the hierarchs at round tables to emphasize the need to seriously listen to each other's motives and perspectives. He allowed everyone to vote to reveal the group's true thinking on the issues. He is not going to remove the governance of the Church from the bishops. But he is going to facilitate a better-informed governance.

It is evident that the tendency to dominate others lies deep in the human heart. Jesus came to eradicate it. We need His grace to love one another as brothers and sisters.  This grace is at work when we engage with others in the Church – pastors as well as laypersons -- in conversations that are honest and respectful.