Be Good News
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Malachi 1:14b — 2:2b, 8–10 / Psalm 131 / 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13 / Matthew 23:1–12
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Reflecting on the Word
By Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.
A friend told me she had been the last in her family to stop going to Mass on Sundays. Her siblings had long since given it up. The reasons had a great deal to do with the quality of church leadership they experienced. Too much outward show of authority, too little indication of inner sanctity. Dispensing official teaching is not enough; living humbly and as a servant is the heart of ministry. The harsh words of the prophet Malachi seem more relevant than ever in our day. When we priests fail to walk in the way of Christ, fail to give glory to God’s name by what we do, we become unworthy of our calling to serve God’s people. Of course, this kind of behavior is not limited to clergy. Jesus is speaking to the crowds and disciples about the Pharisees, the lay leaders who saw themselves as “separate” from the rest because of their outward signs of piety. He also calls them to authentic lives.
“The greatest among you must be your servant,” Jesus says, a message he repeats again and again in the Gospels. His followers are as resistant to it now as they were then. But the faithful follower is not about titles, or ecclesiastical dress up, or posturing in self-importance. Discipleship in the kingdom that Jesus came preaching is about being brothers and sisters who gather around Jesus Christ, the one Master, who humbled himself and waited for God to exalt him. May the same goal be ours.
Consider/Discuss
- What is your experience of those called to shepherd God’s people?
- Do you pray for your priests, your bishops, the Holy Father?
- Is humility a practical virtue in our world today?
Responding to the Word
We pray for all who hold positions of leadership and authority in the Church, that they not only speak but embody the gospel in their lives. We can ask God to raise up more men and women who will instruct by example and words and who will walk humbly in the way of the Lord.