Reflection : Matthew 23:1-12
“Do and observe what they tell you, but do not follow their example!” Who are these “they?” When we read the bible, we tend to believe that Jesus is talking about someone, not me. The Pharisees, the scribes … the religious leaders of the time who preached a distorted face of God to the people. They preached the scripture well, but failed to live what they preached. Today’s Gospel calls on us – preachers of the Word of God – to do an introspection. If Jesus was posing a direct challenge for the religious leaders of his time, the Gospel today continues to challenge the religious leaders of the present time. How often do we come across pastors who loved to be addressed as reverend or doctor and fill their name-cards with the long list of their academic achievements? When I prepare my homilies and reflections, I am afraid, I prepare them for those listening to me, but fail to live what I preach. The Gospel challenges us today: Are the good things or works of charity that we have done for public display, so that people may appreciate us for what we did? The social media updates too often turn out to be self-advertisement of our social or economic status, achievements and charity works. The ongoing pandemic and the humanitarian crisis on account of wars and calamities around the world has helped us in the recent past to be at our generous best, by extending our generous support and reaching out to our needy brethren. But, at times, have these moments of generosity not turned into occasions of self- promotion? Social media platforms get flooded with stories and photos of our ‘acts of charity.’ Pope Francis explains passage by reiterating the command of Jesus to serve and not to be served. He said, (in his Homily in Havana, on 20 September 2015): “Serving means caring … for the vulnerable of our families, our society, our people. We all are called to set aside our own wishes and desires, our pursuit of power – before the concrete gaze of those who are most vulnerable…. Service always looks to their faces, touches their flesh, senses their closeness and even, in some cases, ‘suffers’ that closeness and tries to help them. Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people.” In 2014, during the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, the Pope suggested a standard test for a good shepherd. He said, ‘we need to have shepherds who bear the smell of the sheep’. How good a shepherd am I in the Christian community and in the family? Do I boss over others around…? Lord, help me to imitate you – to serve and not to be served.