Penance

In John’s Gospel, the suggestion is that the reason some people didn’t believe in Jesus was because they sought their own glory more than the glory of God . That is, because they sought praise more for themselves, seeking thereby the esteem of others more than God’s esteem, they were spiritually blind, unable to see the Christ standing right in front of them. Twice Jesus suggests this. First at the beginning of his earthly ministry: “How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” (Jn 5:44). And then near the end, just as the hour of his Passion was to begin: “Nevertheless, many, even among the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly in order not to be expelled from the synagogue. For they preferred human praise to the glory of God” (Jn 12:42-43). Such was the blindingly precarious arrogance with which Jesus had to contend. People worried more about what others thought of them than what God thought of them; thus, as a result, they couldn’t really see God at all. That’s why Jesus said to some Pharisees, after healing the man born blind, that since they presumptuously said “‘We see,’ so your sin remains” (Jn 9:41). This is the spiritual blindness and arrogance Jesus (to call it what it is) attacks at the end of the Gospels. Jesus is done arguing; up to this point, he has argued with Pharisees, scribes and Herodians about everything from the resurrection of the dead to taxes. But nothing’s come of it. No one really won; it’s just that no one dared to ask him any more questions (cf. Mt 22:46). Truth to power  At this point, Jesus, to use contemporary parlance, speaks truth to power. Do not follow their example, he says. They preach but do not practice, he says. It’s all a performance; they want to be seen, he says. All they want is the honor in the marketplace and in the synagogue (cf. Mt 23:3-7). “Woe to you,” Jesus will say almost in the same breath (cf. Mt 23:13-36). Gentle diplomacy is not Jesus’s game here. He’s telling it like it is. This is the Christ who’s come to see his own Temple’s corruption, who knows the violence burning in the hearts of so many surrounding him. Perhaps we can forgive Jesus in this instance for not being as nice as we normally like him. Such is the context of Jesus’s excoriation of those who use the titles of “rabbi” or “father.” If what these titles do is create cultures wherein people prefer honors given by humans to the honor of God, then yes: these titles are a problem and should be scrapped. This plainly is the view of Matthew’s Gospel, and it does indeed make sense. We Catholics, with all our titles and all our reverend fathers, shouldn’t hide from this or try to tame it by means of clever interpretation. Rather, we should learn from it, think about what we’re doing, and then rediscover the spiritual truth of what we do. Otherwise, we’re no different from those Jesus called hypocrites. Clearly, the tradition represented by Matthew’s Gospel didn’t win the day. Long have Christians called spiritual mentors and some clergy “father.” Perhaps this goes back even to Paul (cf. Timothy and Onesimus whom he called his “sons”). Why this is so is beyond our discussion. But the moral remains; the danger of such titles remains. That’s what we should take away: the warning Jesus gives about such titles. We should take care they don’t render us spiritually blind. Indeed, I’m in very good Catholic company saying we should pay attention here. Read, for instance, St. Gregory the Great’s “Pastoral Care.” The beginning of it is full of such warnings, mostly about prideful and arrogant clergy. “[S]ome there are,” he writes, “who aspire to glory and esteem by an outward show of authority within the holy Church. They crave to appear as teachers and covet ascendancy over others” (1.1). These are bad clergymen, St. Gregory plainly says. Such a bishop or priest “feasts on the subjection of others in the hidden reveries of his thought” (1.8). For St. Gregory, the spiritual dangers present in Matthew remain. This is the pressing lesson for us today, that such dangers remain for us too. Hans Urs von Balthasar wrote once, “The priest is a servant from every point of view and a lord from no point of view.” Some of us priests and bishops could use to learn this lesson . Again, the point is simple; it’s about the spiritual dangers that attend pride, that come with caring about what others think more than caring about what God thinks. Don’t get caught up in silly questions here; learn the deeper lesson. And then humbly seek God, his praise alone. November 5 – 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Mal 1:14–2:2, 8-10 Ps 131:1, 2, 3 1 Thes 2:7-9, 13 Mt 23:1-12 This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Great Catholic families make mistakes: As Catholics, we believe that we are created in the image and likeness of God ... but this doesn’t mean that we are gods. The older we get, the more we realize how human we all are. We let each other down. We fail. We sin. And yet, to thrive as individuals and as a family, we have learned that there is a fine line between making a mistake and believing that you are a mistake. God does not make mistakes. We are each created with dignity, and we are all special in God’s eyes. Great Catholic families know that shame is hard to undo once it’s done. Even the biggest mistakes require a healthy dose of patience and love in order to ensure that they don’t become weak spots in an otherwise strong family. Faith Builder : Does your family keep alive old wounds? Take some time together to bury old mistakes and genuinely move on from them. Great Catholic families fight fair: As much as we wish family life were perfect, the reality is that all families experience conflict. We’re going to fight. Not selling siblings into slavery like Joseph’s brothers did is a good start, but even fighting has rules. Families that fight fair carry with them an application of the Ten Commandments, even when they are in the middle of a family crisis. Some examples: Steering clear of using the Lord’s name in vain in a heated debate. Honoring mothers and fathers (and daughters and sons and sisters and brothers and so on). Telling the truth, gently, even though it may hurt. Family members who fight for personal victory miss out on how great it feels to work through a struggle together, and win as a team. Great Catholic families check tempers, are respectful of one anothers’ strengths and weaknesses, and always remember that obstacles make us stronger Faith Builder : Create and display your family’s rules for conflict: “No sulking, no lying, no grudges, etc.” This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Lk 14:1-6 The people are observing Jesus, presumably to catch him in an unlawful act. Jesus confronts them with a challenging question. No one answers. Jesus answers his own question by healing the man. Then he asks if one of their own had an accident wouldn’t their response be to rescue even if on the Sabbath. Again, there is silence. Jesus, you open our minds to serve you by serving others no matter the circumstances. This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.