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.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, October 29, 2023

(Exodus 22:20-26; I Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40)

The gospel today is about love. Everyone thinks they know about love, but not everyone agrees on what love is. Once a homeless man received lunch from a volunteer working in a soup kitchen. The homeless man said to the volunteer, “Miss Bea, I love you.” She responded, “I love you too, Jimmy.” Then the man said, “Miss Bea, if you love me, will you sleep with me?” The woman replied: “It's not that kind of love.”

There are several types of love. The great exponent of the faith of the last century, C.S. Lewis, describes four. Reflecting on these can help us better understand the two commandments of today’s gospel. Three of these types are natural. That is, they arise in us like the appetite to eat or the desire to know. The fourth type is supernatural. In other words, it comes from God although it is up to us to accept it and share it with others.

The first type of love is affection whereby we wish well for the people who help us. Out of affection, a girl loves her mother who provides her with the resources to live, from breastfeeding to advice in attending parties. Mothers also need the affection of their children to feel fulfilled as women. We need to be needed, as the saying goes. Affection extends beyond our families. Lewis says that ninety percent of our love relationships are of this type. However, we take care with affection because it can turn into overindulgence that suffocates rather than supports development.

Lewis lists friendship as the second type of love. He has in mind complete sharing so that two men or two women identify with each other. Church fathers St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzus had such a relationship. Gregory wrote: “When we recognized our friendship, we became everything for each other: we shared the same accommodation, the same table, the same desires, the same goal.” In the Gospel according to Saint John at the Last Supper Jesus calls his disciples “friends” because they have shared his life to the fullest. Although this type of friendship is a great gift, it can be corrupted. For example, when the two do not share with anyone other than each other, it becomes selfish.

Eros, romantic love, comprise the third type of love. Lovers experience delight not only in the presence but also the thought of the other. By its nature, eros will lead the couple to give life in marriage. But it can also lead to a decrease in goodness, as when lovers abandon virtue in the pursuit of erotic pleasure.

Lewis calls the fourth type of love “agape,” a Greek word meaning self-sacrificing love. It is the love of God given to humans out of pure goodness. By nature we have to love the teachers who formed us as people of character. But God does not have to love us; He did not even have to create us. Despite millennia of human ingratitude, God not only created us but sent His Son to save us from sin and death. In response to Him we love everyone with a love that does not seek reciprocity in affection, nor exclusivity in friendship, nor pleasure in eros.

With agape we can love the invisible God. This is more difficult than one suspects.  We cannot see God, and many people like to think of themselves as authors of true love.  We love God by helping the hungry, the naked, the sick, and foreigners with whom Christ identified. We also love God by obeying His commandments even when it demands sacrifice. Finally, we love God by praying to Him daily and attentively.

As followers of Christ, we do not love only those who meet our needs. We love everyone in imitation of God who has filled us with his love. This love, agape, gives us more than satisfaction that is prone to fade. It gives us the joy of knowing Jesus as our friend and his Father as our host for eternity.