CYCLE A 31ST ORDINARY (2011)
Malachi 1: 14; 2: 2, 8-10, 1 Thessa 1: 7-9, 13, Matt 23: 1-12
1. God has always tried to raise up good leaders for His people to help them live in TRUTH. And we all know that Jesus was sent as the ultimate TEACHER and LEADER of TRUTH. And we also know Jesus himself, established the church, leaving especially the Apostles and theirs successors, to take His place in these capacities.
So in scripture, when the people, especially the leaders, took immoral liberty with presenting or living the TRUTH, God took ‘CORRECTIVE ACTIONS’ to eliminate unworthy and false leadership for His People. Yet God also, when the leaders and people honestly desired to live, but struggled with the truth, He raised up leaders who also used ‘POSITIVE REINFORCMENT’ to bolster new found or struggling Faith.
2. The reading from Malachi was chosen because of its similarity to the gospel when it came to ‘CORRECTIVE ACTION’ of bad leadership. The Pharisees in the time of Christ, and the priests of the temple in Malachi’s day, were the leaders to whom the people were to look to for guidance and example. Both the Old Testament priests and Pharisees of Christ’s time FAILED to give the people that example miserably.
3. In the Book of Malachi, the prophet in earlier verses, LISTED the OFFENSES that the Priests committed in their liturgical services. In SELF SERVING actions, the priests were offering lame, diseased and even stolen animals as sacrifices to the Lord—strictly forbidden in Lev. 22: 17-25. In doing this, Malachi said they had polluted the altar of sacrifice, “the table of the Lord.” Malachi also pointed to the priests who were teaching ‘FALSE DOCTRINE’. But he was especially concerned about the priests who gave ‘BAD EXAMPLE’ in their daily lives, which led the laity to show disrespect to God also.
The prophet Malachi offered those sinful priests, who were being held to higher account, an opportunity to repent and change their ways. If they did not, he told them God threatened to send the curse upon them. ‘Corrective Actions’ to replace unworthy priests would come.
3. In Matthew’s gospel of the last few weeks, we have been hearing, how the Scribes and Pharisees had been in controversy with Jesus. They had been trying to trip Jesus up and give Him the opportunity to say something which would turn the people or the Roman authorities against him. Jesus and the Truth prevailed and He silenced those bad boys in the ‘Parables of Rejection’. So today, Jesus takes his point to the PEOPLE and his DISCIPLES, telling them how the Scribes and Pharisees because of their prideful actions, are FALLEN LEADERS. Positions of honor, LONG prayer tassels and BIG-BIG prayer Boxes were used to falsely enhance their positions as Teachers & leaders. Jesus pointed out they had the Mosaic AUTHORITY to teach. And while their teaching may have been sound, over the years the Pharisaic leaders let the precepts they added to the law (613 in all) become too rigorous for anyone to follow. Jesus and everyone could see what happened, “they preach but do not practice”. Yet still, Jesus tells the people to follow their teaching but in disdain for their leadership position, He tells them not to follow their example. Jesus was taking ‘Corrective Actions’ to replace them ultimately in his church. Jesus many times warned His apostles and disciples about PRIDE and offered them the example of humility in His LIFE and SERVICE instead as the example to follow.
5. To those who sincerely are trying to find and follow the TRUTH of God, Paul in his TEACHING role writes a letter to the Thessalonians, who were among the first Gentiles to accept the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus. To encourage spiritual growth; in an effort to fan the flames of fledgling faith, Paul ALSO in his LEADERSHIP role presents God’s TENDER side. “We were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves…” This verse epitomizes how God expects His priests and laity leaders to live in service to Him.
The tender and loving God through Paul, sees their openness and docile attitude to believing in Jesus and praises them by saying, “we…thank God constantly…that when you received the word of God which you have heard form us, …you accepted it NOT as the word of men but as what it REALLY is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” This verse epitomizes how God expects His disciples to grow in knowledge and love of Him. By fallowing the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
6. What can we take from today’s readings that is inspirational and uplifting. It’s the TRUTH that while the church had been entrusted with the leadership and teaching authority of Christ, it also has the DUTY to CARE for it, by how it is presented and lived. ‘Corrective Actions’ and ‘Positive Reinforcement’ are the means to allow the faith of the Church to grow correctly. You don’t allow sin to become a moral OK. And you don’t let Neophytes die on the vine. And it all starts with Caring that our Leadership (Pope, Bishops, Priests and Deacons on down) is Humble, Educated, on Task and striving to be Holy, because if they flounder…so goes the laity in their marriages, families and works of mercy.
And that’s where the DOMESTIC CHURCH comes into play. We each in our own way are responsible for those God has given us to care for. We to are called to PREACH and PRACTICE. But at the same time don’t be afraid to CORRECT and or ENCOURAGE living in the TRUTH.
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