topleft05.jpg (18208 bytes)HOMILY
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
30 October 05


 

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying….
“You have but one teacher….you have but one master….
The greatest among you must be your servant.”
 

For the ancient Greeks, a “hypocrite” was an actor, a human being who played a role and wore a mask but whose off-stage life was completely divorced from his on-stage role.

In today’s gospel, Jesus rails against the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious leaders, and especially the Pharisees, who played a role—albeit a very important role—within the Jewish community.  The Pharisees were the authoritative teachers of God’s law.  Evidently, they did so by enacting a role—“Keeping Up Appearances” like Hyacinth Bucket—entirely divorced from the fact that the Pharisees were very much like the people God called them to serve.  Instead, the Pharisees abused their authority by loving their role and what it accorded them in terms of honor and prestige within the Jewish community, perhaps even loving their role more than they loved God and God’s law.  The Pharisees also abused their authority by interpreting God’s law for people and laying heavy burdens upon them, burdens which the Pharisees were not willing to bear themselves.

The power of Jesus’ harsh words of condemnation reminds anyone who would be a priest—that is, anyone God calls to teach others His law—that this is a vocation of service to God’s people, the very people the priest comes from and belongs to, not a position of honor.  Furthermore, anyone who would be a priest should remember that the facts of one’s personal life testify louder than do many of one’s public words and pronouncements.

For Jesus, anything short of teaching God’s law by serving others is nothing other than hypocritical self-righteousness.  It is play acting—where the facts of the priest’s life and the role one plays in the community of faith are divorced—and deserving of nothing other than the harshest of condemnation.

Perhaps this talk about self-righteous religious hypocrisy leads us to consider some of our own religious leaders past and present, and especially those priests we’ve experienced or have come to know about as meriting the kind of harsh condemnation Jesus reserved to the Pharisees, in particular.

Undoubtedly, the priests who abused children and minors in our own Archdiocese and other dioceses and archdioceses nationally deserve to be condemned in the harshest of terms.  They wore a mask and played a role to perpetrate heinous crimes upon young people.  Doing so, these priests deceived God’s people, and not only their victims but also the “people in the pews” and their fellow priests as well.  It truly is a sad day—one characterized by conflicting emotions and paradoxical thoughts—when the mask is suddenly gone and we discover the awful facts of that person’s life!

In a lesser but equally serious way deserving of condemnation are those priests who have laid very heavy burdens upon people, yet who were themselves unwilling to bear similar burdens.  When people of faith—oftentimes wavering faith—came seeking God’s mercy, they experienced God’s harsh judgment when a priest mediated God’s law absent any pastoral compassion.  Instead of walking out of the rectory or church having experienced healing and reconciliation, these people left the Church broken, bitter, and alienated.  In many instances, these priests were busy tending to their own self-interests rather than tending to the moral and spiritual needs of God’s people.  Though anecdotal, stories abound about people receiving such treatment by priests and cannot be dismissed as “baseless” or “without any merit,” as was first claimed about the pedophile and ephebophile priests before the facts became known and they were transferred from parish to parish, school to school, or ministry to ministry.

Jesus harshly condemns any such behavior on the part of religious leaders who viewed their ministry as “wearing a mask” and “playing a role” that enables these religious leaders to take advantage of God’s people rather than to serve their needs.

At the same time, let’s not conveniently forget the fact that today’s gospel challenges all who would be priests.  None of them can don a mask or play a role; instead, God calls each to be the living presence of Jesus Christ for all of God’s people, saints and sinners alike.  And that is precisely the point.  Every one of Jesus’ disciples—and that includes each and every one of us gathered today—who  have shared in the baptism of Jesus Christ also share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

The Second Vatican Council was very clear about this point.  All Christians, by virtue of the Sacrament of Baptism, the Council fathers taught, share in the common priesthood of Jesus Christ.  God calls every Christian—not just the ordained clergy—to teach, to sanctify, and to govern, not only through one’s words but more importantly through one’s actions, to be a “leaven at work in the world.”  Therefore, each one of us must be very careful that there is no self-righteous hypocrisy in any of our lives because being a disciple is not a matter of “donning” a mask or “playing” a role that is entirely divorced from the reality of our daily lives.  Being a Christian—that is, being the living presence of Jesus Christ at work in our world—is who we are and who we must endeavor to be in every aspect of our daily lives.

It’s much easier, I think, for us to point the finger of blame at those who exercise official roles—like the ordained clergy—and to be critical of them, than it is to be equally critical of ourselves.  I do not mean this to minimize any self-righteous and hypocritical behavior on the part of any ordained clergyman.  It’s just that we’d rather not take an equally sustained and critical gaze at our own lives or point the finger of blame at ourselves as people who share in the common priesthood of Jesus Christ in order to see exactly where we need to experience conversion.

In today’s gospel, Jesus offers some very harsh condemnation for those religious leaders whose hypocrisy reveals their evil intentions.  We also should condemn such hypocrisy.  But, we must also never forget that the finger of blame we point at them leaves four fingers pointing right back at ourselves!

So, today’s gospel asks of spouses:

·       Do you recall your courtship, your wedding day, and your honeymoon?

·       Do you remember all of your hopes and dreams concerning your beloved and your life together?

·       Do you remember when you said “I do” not meaning simply to be married but, more importantly, meaning that you would work with all of your might to make of your marriage a sacrament?
 

Well, all of that raises a few questions in light of today’s condemnation of the Pharisees:

·       Is your relationship with your spouse the single most important relationship—save God—in your life?

·       Do you and your spouse pray together each day, read and share Scripture together, and discuss Church teaching together?

·       Have you ever made a Marriage Encounter, Cursillo Weekend, or retreat together?

·       Are you open and honest with your spouse, that is, do you trust your spouse so as to be forthrightly transparent about your joys, fears, hopes, and needs?

·       Is your spouse more important to you than your career, your interests, and your hobbies?
 

It’s so much easier to talk about the Sacrament of Marriage—to wear a mask and to separate the role of spouse from the reality of one’s daily life—than it is to live the Sacrament of Marriage—and what it means to be a priest of Jesus Christ.

Self-righteous hypocrites,” Jesus would say.

Interestingly, the simple fact is that married couples benefit from religious practice.  Studies have linked more frequent church attendance to lower levels of divorce proneness (Booth, A., Johnson, D. R., Branaman, A., & Sica, A., 1995, “Belief and Behavior: Does Religion Matter in Today's Marriage?,” Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, pp. 661-671).  In addition, couples who pray together, stay together—and happily so.  These spouses report respecting each other more, trusting each other more, and being more helpful to each other around the house.  One study reported that “75 percent of those who pray say that the marriage is very happy, as opposed to 57 percent of those who do not pray” (Greeley, A. M., 1991, Faithful Attraction: Discovering Intimacy, Love, and Fidelity in American Marriage, New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates).

Today’s gospel also asks of parents:

·       Do you remember when you dreamed of having children, of being a parent, of the birth and raising of a child?

·       Did you read all sorts of “how to” books and consult other people about how to go about being a parent, all in order to be the best parent?

·       Were you afraid that you’d “blow it,” prove ineffective or insufficient to the demands of parenting, and end up being just like your parents?
 

Well, all of that raises a few questions in light of today’s condemnation of the Pharisees:

·       Do you know that you are the primary educators of the children God has entrusted to you, especially in the important area of faith and morals?

·       What have you taught your children what prayer and scripture, faith and morality as well as holiness and their personal vocations require of your children?

·       Do you model for your children appropriate moral and ethical behavior?

·       When was the last time you engaged in your own personal religious education and faith development so that you could educate your children in the faith?
 

It’s so much easier, isn’t it, to talk about one’s responsibility to be the primary educator of children than it is to model for one’s children—through one’s moral, ethical, and religious behavior—what it means to parent one’s children as a priest of Jesus Christ would.

Parents traditionally have been the primary moral teachers of children, but for vast numbers of children today, parents are not performing that role, thus creating a moral, ethical, and religious vacuum.

In her 1991 book, When the Bough Breaks: The Cost of Neglecting Our Children, economist Sylvia Hewlett documented how American children, both rich and poor, suffer a level of neglect that is unique among all developed nations.  Overall, the well-being of our nation’s children has declined despite a decrease in the number of children per family, an increase in the educational level of parents, and historically high levels of public spending in education.

In an April 1993 article entitled “Dan Quayle Was Right,” Barbara Dafoe Whitehead synthesized the social science research on the decline of the two biological-parent family in America.  She wrote:

·       If current trends continue, less than one half of children born today will live continuously with their own mother and father throughout childhood….An increasing number of children will experience family break-up two or even three times during childhood.

·       Children of marriages that end in divorce and children of single mothers are more likely to be poor, have emotional and behavioral problems, fail to achieve academically, get pregnant, abuse drugs and alcohol, get in trouble with the law, and be sexually and physical abused.  Children in stepfamilies are generally worse off (more likely to be sexually abused, for example) than children in single-parent homes.
 

The impact of this disruption to the traditional family has hit schools especially hard.  Whitehead noted:

·       Across the nation, principals report a dramatic rise in the aggressive, acting-out behavior characteristic of children, especially boys, who are living in single-parent families.

·       Teachers find that many young children are so upset and preoccupied by the explosive drama of their own family lives that they are unable to concentrate on such mundane matters as multiplication tables.
 

Without parents who serve capably as the primary moral, ethical, and religious educators of their children, many expects schools to teach the moral values that young people aren’t learning at home, simple things like focusing on school work, controlling anger, experiencing care, and taking personal responsibility for one’s actions.

Worse yet, young people in general—and not just those from fractured families—are being adversely affected when parents fail in their role as moral educators.  Not only are young people getting the wrong kind of adult role models, the sex, violence and materialism portrayed in the mass media becomes “reality” for young people.  Perhaps worse yet, peer group pressure defines what constitutes for many young people appropriate behavior.

Evidence that this hostile moral environment is taking a toll on youth can be found in 10 troubling trends: rising youth violence; increasing dishonesty (lying, cheating, and stealing); growing disrespect for authority; peer cruelty and bullying; a resurgence of bigotry on school campuses, from preschool through higher education; a decline in the work ethic; sexual precocity; a growing self-centeredness and declining civic responsibility; an increase in self-destructive behavior; and ethical illiteracy.

The statistics supporting these trends are overwhelming.  For example, the U.S. homicide rate for 15- to 24- year-old males is 7 times higher than Canada’s and 40 times higher than Japan’s.  The U.S. has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates, the highest teen abortion rate, and the highest level of drug use among young people in the developed world.  Suicide among young people has tripled in the past 25 years, and a survey of more than 2,000 Rhode Island sixth through ninth grade students found that two out of three boys and one of two girls reported it “acceptable for a man to force sex on a woman” if they had been dating for six months or more (Kikuchi, 1988).

These and many other studies suggest that many parents today play the role but aren’t parenting their children as a priest of Jesus Christ would.

Self-righteous hypocrites,” Jesus would say.

Today’s gospel also reminds all of our young people that they also are priests.  Yes, you have been baptized into the priesthood of Jesus Christ!  So, today’s gospel asks you:

·       When you think you’re not happy, what do you think will make you happy?  Where is it that you look for happiness?

·       People oftentimes don’t live up to your expectations and you feel let down.  Why do you expect people to be something that you’re not, that is, perfect?

·       You have dreams about what you’d like to see the future bring.  What is it that you’re trying to flee from in the present?
 

Well, those questions raise some additional questions in light of today’s condemnation of the Pharisees:

·       Isn’t it so very easy to look at, to judge, and to condemn others at school or the neighborhood for how they look or what they say and do than it is to look at your own sinful behavior and your need to change?

·       After you’ve finished one round of bickering, arguing, and fighting with your brothers and sisters, do you apologize and ask for forgiveness?  Or, do you hope for the day to come when you’ll never have to speak to your brothers and sisters for the rest of your lives, just like some of your aunts and uncles and grandparents?

·       Do you talk back to your parents—dishonoring those who gave you life—arrogantly condemning them because you resent the burdens of good conduct and moral behavior they expect of you?
 

So, where is it that you go to find solace?  Do you find it in complaining to your peers about how your parents have accepted their responsibility and are providing you with love, order in your life, and discipline?  Do you also find your solace in complaining to your peers about how your parents require you to be self-controlled, more compassionate, tolerant, civil, honest, and respectful of rightful authority?  Have you grown sick and tired that your parents bring you to church on Sunday?

Well, you’d better stop complaining.  Why?  Because you have a Mom and Dad at home.  They are there for you and will be there for you.  They love you and expect you to be the best person you can be.  And, as some very good research indicates, your parents are providing you the kind of home life that will enable you to grow up physically, psychologically, morally, and spiritually healthy!

Many of those peers who are listening to you complain about your parents don’t have a Mom and a Dad at home.  They are much more likely to become involved in immoral and illegal behavior.  They are on a pathway that, ultimately if they don’t change, will lead to the destruction of their lives.  Your parents are preparing you for the future; the people you are surrounding yourself with currently have no future.

But, it is so much easier, isn’t it, to complain to your peers about your parents than it is to model—through your moral, ethical, and religious behavior—what it means for a young person to live as a priest of Jesus Christ and, through your words and actions, to evangelize your peers and give them hope by introducing them to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?

Self-righteous hypocrites,” Jesus would say.

Indeed, it is easily for all of us—ordained clergy, spouses, parents, and young people who share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ—to condemn others for their self-evident hypocrisy.  But, what we’re really doing, Jesus teaches in today’s gospel, is regaling in our own self-righteous hypocrisy.  We’re pointing the finger of blame at other people, when the simple truth is that we have four fingers pointing right back at us.  We’ve got a lot of changing to do ourselves, especially in the vineyard of our souls, before we arrogantly condemn anyone else!

In our baptism, each of us has been given a share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ and “God’s word is at work in us who believe,” St. Paul writes.  How we live out our priesthood in our daily lives is not a matter of “donning a mask” and “play acting” where “who we are” is divorced from “the role we play.”  What St. Paul said of his Thessalonians followers he should be able to say of us, namely, “[W]e give thanks that in hearing us you received not a human word but the word of God which is now at work in you.”

There is an absolute truth that God has called us to live each day, an absolute truth that is imprinted in every fiber of our soul.  When we live out this absolute truth, we can feel it alive within us.  In today’s gospel, Jesus explored this absolute truth in terms of its opposite, namely, religious hypocrisy.  So, in our Eucharist today, let’s pray together that the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, will protect us from religious hypocrisy by nourishing and strengthening us to serve one another—as humble priests—as we put into practice in our own lives what we expect others to put into practice in their lives.

 

A brief commercial break...
 

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