Monday, November 21, 2011

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23:8

A group of African missionaries who were sent to work in a diocese in Tanzania discovered that most of the missionaries in the diocese were American. The American missionaries called the bishop, who was African, by his first name. The newly arrived African missionaries thought this was inappropriate and decided to change it. They taught the people to call the bishop “My Lord.” This was new to the people but they were open to change. One day a woman came to see the bishop and the person she met was one of the American priests. She asked him, “Where is Our Lord?” The priest gleefully replied, “Our Lord is in the tabernacle.”

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) brought about much change and renewal in the church. But the way of addressing church leaders has undergone practically no change whatsoever. A priest is still called “Reverend Father.” A bishop “My Lord” or “Your Excellency,” a cardinal “Your Eminence.” One wonders how the church allowed the use of these high-sounding titles to develop, given the fact that the church has always venerated today’s Gospel which cautions against the use of titles that reflect a superior-inferior relationship.

We should not, however, take the words of Jesus too literally. The good news of the Gospel has more to do with attitudes and behavior than with words and terminologies. Take the case of high-level government officials who are called ministers, which literally means servants, yet this does not make them any humbler. The law of Christ has more to do with attitudes and behavior than with words.

Attachment to power and social esteem compromises the true witness of the servant of God. The good news, however, is that it does not nullify the authority of the office. The person occupying a teaching office among the people of God may be personally unfaithful by not practicing what he teaches. But God is faithful and guarantees that the teaching itself remains sound and valid. That is why Jesus says: “Do what they say, but don’t do as they do.” (Matthew 23:2-3)

If you ever have the misfortune of knowing some Christian leaders who are as hypocritical as the Scribes and the Pharisees described in today’s Gospel, the challenge for you is to try and make a distinction between what they teach and how they live. You must not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Abuse of an office does not nullify the validity of the office itself. Those who reject the church because they heard or saw something unbecoming on the part of some church ministers is only throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Scripture tells us that there will always be SCANDALS (Matthew 18:7) in the church. Even Jesus dealt with the scandal of Judas who betrayed His trust on account of greed for money, and the scandal of Peter who denied him three times out of fear. Still, these scandals do not alter the effectiveness of the good news which has survived, and borne good fruit, it spite of scandals. When Jesus tells us we have “only one teacher,” He is appealing to the ultimate authority of His teaching which alone must guide our lives.

Fr. Hugh Duffy