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.
