PEOPLE OF THE NEW COVENANT

First Reading: Mal 1:14-2:2, 8-10
Second Reading: 1 Thes 2:7-9, 13
Gospel: Mt 23:1-12

Some people see authority as prestige place. And so, they seek to attain it. Some see authority as oppression. And so, they fight to eradicate the concept of authority from their vicinity. Some see authority as useless. And so, they avoid it. Still, some see authority as necessary. Those are the people who use the authority for their welfare, no matter who is holding the authority. Their only concern is to get their due from the authority. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is insisting us to approach the authority like those last kind of people who obey authority out of necessity. Jesus tells His disciples to follow the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees who hold the authority of God through Moses. Thus, the voice of God has to be obeyed through Scribes and Pharisees.

In the first reading God is angry towards Jewish priests who neglected both their personal commitment to God as well as their ministerial duty towards people. As Priests, they failed to be true to God. They coloured their teachings according to the listeners. The interpreters of God’s Word turned to be communicators of the words of human kings and political leaders. The book of Malachi is addressed to priests who acted in the name of God without having God in themselves. They favoured their listeners. They charmed the human authority with their favourable teachings to get personal privileges. Thus, the Word of God is removed from the midst of people. They could no more hear God’s word. The source of human life is God’s Word. We gain wisdom and understanding of life from Word of God. That important duty is carried out by priests. In failing to do this sacred duty priests have caused people to go astray. This outrages God to reprimand priests severely. If the society is facing a moral decline, it is a sign that there is a lack of relentless preachers in that society. In this regard one could draw inspiration from St. Thomas More, a lawyer, judge and statesman in 15th Century England. He refused the authority of Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England. He was persecuted and beheaded for not supporting the King of England to break away from Catholicism. St. Thomas More, an important person in the governance of English monarchy refused to accept anything that was contrary to his Catholic faith. He was a relentless preacher through his martyrdom. We need to be like him in the present world, especially the priests and religious.

For many Catholics, the Gospel of today would lead them to connect the Scribes and Pharisees to priests in the Church. They assume that Jesus is telling them to obey the teachings of the authority in the church without questioning. To some extend this understanding is fine. But we need to know the context of today’s passage to get what exactly Jesus is saying. Today’s gospel passage is addressed not to the people but to His disciples who would soon be anointed as Priests of the New Covenant at the Last Supper. Thus, Jesus is forming the seminarians of New Priesthood by pointing out the lacuna in the Priesthood of the Old Testament. The basis for the New Testament Priesthood is humility. Jesus instituted the Priesthood and the Eucharist only after washing the feet of His disciples. Thus, the formation in the seminary is not to learn how to celebrate the Holy Eucharist or gain some intellectual knowledge about religion. Certainly, they are needed, but the long years of seminary life is primarily for becoming humble. A seminarian who learns to wash the feet of others in seminary life would certainly secure high mark in humility. On the contrary, a seminarian who tries to get through the formation and become priest would end up in making others to wash his feet. Humility cannot be learned in reading and writing, rather through concrete deeds.

Jesus makes the point telling us to give utter obedience to authority since they hold the key to access God. If we don’t follow the teachings of the authority in the Church, we may miss the communication of God. In falling to listen we go astray. Hence, it is better that we listen to them. It may become worse on our part if our disobedience arises from their hypocrisy. In being hypocrite they sin before God. In being hypocrite – not practising what they preach – priests may commit one sin. We by disobeying and pointing out the hypocrisy of priest commit two sins; disobedience and going astray. Thus, it is better that we obey priests and lessen our sins than outdo the priests in sinning by not listening to their words. Let us use the authority to get our due; gaining knowledge and wisdom about God from priests. May our disobedience to God not arise from the hypocrisy of priests and authorities in the Church. The obsession with social media has turned the humanity to look and act. As Christians we should not act by looking but by paying heed to the Word of God. Just as God told Israel to listen (shema Israel) in Deut 6:4, Jesus tells Christians, the people of New Covenant to listen to Him in the Word of God and in His priests. Listen, O you people of the Kingdom of God! So that you may have life in abundance (Jn 10:10).    

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