The dangers of spiritual arrogance and moral superiority

Matthew 23:1–12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Music Meditations

In Christ Alone—Celtic Worship Featuring Steph MacLeod
Create in me a Clean Heart Oh, God—Maranatha Singers or Keith Greene
Here I am Lord—John Michael Talbot

Opening Prayer

Sometimes it is hard, Lord, to avoid the tendency to seek the approval and admiration of others. It is also hard to avoid the tendency to demand of others a level of commitment that is unrealistic at best and impossible at worst. Help me to cultivate humility, and a deep understanding of the burdens others are facing. Keep me from the terrible sin of judging others, and keep me from listening to those voices that make me feel guilty when there is no need to do so. Keep me honest.

Companions for the Journey

From “First Impressions” 2023, A service of the Dominicans:

Religious leaders do not come off too well in today’s first and Gospel readings. These past three weeks Jesus had been in contention with the “chief priests and elders of the people,” now he takes on the Pharisees and scribes.

Jesus is not accusing them of not knowing their religion. They knew it very well. They were even good at teaching it to others; it is just that they didn’t practice what they taught and preached. “For they preach but they do not practice.” In Jesus’ time, the teachers of Torah fell into two broad categories: those who took a very strict interpretation of the religious law and those who were broad interpreters. The strict teachers made religious observance very difficult for the ordinary person who lacked both the education and time to learn and practice all the minutiae these teachers emphasized. Thus, the strict interpreters could easily point an accusing finger at those around them, the common folk, who in their ignorance were constantly breaking the rules. These strict interpreters did little to lighten the religious burdens they taught. Thus, they provided still more loads for an already oppressed people to carry. As a result of their burdensome teachings, they made it sound as if God were exacting and demanding. While those who gave a broad interpretation had a more pastoral approach. In today’s passage. Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees. He accuses them of taking a position they themselves do not follow. Nor, he says, do they do anything to relieve the heavy burdens they have imposed on others.

Then, there is the matter of titles given to people of distinction. My father’s first name was Joseph. When I was a boy, if I had called him Joe, I would not have survived to adulthood. Yet Jesus says, “Call no one on earth your father....” What about those priests I served at the altar in our local parish when I was a boy? Should I have called Father Kelly, Pat? And, to allude to another strange passage, should I have cut off my right hand when it offended me, or plucked out my eye, in the third grade, when it roamed to my desk mate’s test? I sense that Jesus is using exaggeration to make a point – and he makes some good ones in today’s Gospel.

In Jesus’ day “father” was not only used to address a male parent, but also as an honorary title for distinguished elders living or dead. However, Jesus is saying, that a disciple is not to be distracted by a search for honor and titles. We are to go about our “business,” the work of preaching and fulfilling our vocation. If our lives conform to what we teach, that will be enough. Let God take care of any subsequent honors for us. To be esteemed in God’s sight is what counts. And only God may know who these “honorees” are.

The Malachi reading is an indictment against religious leaders who have been guilty of another violation of the teacher’s responsibility – they have not observed God’s ways and have taught falsely. “You have turned aside from the way, and have caused many to falter by your instruction....” These priests failed in their roles as leaders and teachers. As I fly out of Kennedy airport today, I note the front page story in the paper I am reading. The headline reports that another diocese is being sued for millions of dollars by dozens of people who allege clergy abuse over past decades. I am sure those in the pews cannot hear this Malachi passage without applying it to all the recent clergy scandals. And well they should. All religious teachers, and anyone holding positions of authority, have to take this reading to heart.

But the scriptures speak not only to certain religious leaders, but to all believers. We must search our consciences, not because we have committed similar crimes, but because we all fall short of the ideals we profess and teach. In some ways, we do not “lay to heart” the commandments of God; nor, says Malachi, do our lives give sufficient example of “the glory of God’s name.” We are all expected to give witness by word and deed to our God. “You have turned aside from the way,” Malachi complains. The prophet, formerly speaking for God, now speaks in his own voice, “Why then do we break faith with one another violating the covenant of our ancestors?” Sounds like Paul in Romans when he laments, “I cannot understand my own behavior. I fail to carry out the things I want to do and I find myself doing the very things I hate.” (Romans 7: 15-16) Our human nature needs help; Paul, Malachi, all of us – our condition cries out to God for redemption.

Those of us who hold the position of teacher, in any way (parent, religious sister, priest, uncle, grandmother, etc.) listen to today’s readings with humble hearts. We certainly are aware of our responsibilities to teach by word and example. Yet, as we reflect at the end of a day on how well we lived up to what we profess and teach, we know we fall short. Maybe our consolation and encouragement can be found in Paul’s closing words today:

“...we too give thanks to God unceasingly that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.”

Paul was certainly aware of his shortcomings. But what he passed on came from God – who planted the Word in him. The gospel message is not a dead letter; but a living growing word. Our teachers in faith have passed that Word on to us. We have heard that Word today at this liturgy and will be fed that Word made flesh in our Eucharist. We are not discouraged by how we fall short, how we fail to fully live the teachings we profess and pass on to others. Instead, with faith in that Word “at work in you who believe,” we are assured God is not finished with us yet. So, we ask the Holy Spirit here today to help us cooperate and live up to the living Word in us.

Further reflection:

Commentary on Matthew 23:1-12 from “Living Space” >>

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

Caveat: We must be careful in criticizing the Pharisees that we do not engage in any kind of anti-Semitism—all religious and organizations can harbor hypocrites…
Have there been instances in my life where those in authority do not seem to understand the difficulties involved in what they were asking me to do?
In religious matters, have there been individuals or public statements that seem to ask more of us than Jesus did?
Do people sometime quote Jesus in making rules or regulations and determining punishments for infraction of those rules?
From Living Space:
What is my religion to me?
Wings to lift me or a weight to drag me down?
A matter of love or of law?
Jesus offers rest and relief to those who labor and are burdened. Can I recognize myself in the Pharisee—the Pharisee in me?
Are there societal rules or religious rules, or even workplace rules that I find annoying? Impossible to follow?
Am I always right in being irritated by these rules?
How do I think Jesus would react to some religious, societal or workplace rules my culture imposes on me?
How tempting is it to behave in a way that elicits admiration from others?
Have I ever been in a position where I demanded a level of commitment or compliance that was truly burdensome?
If one of the issues in this gospel is the absence of humility in those who pretend to be moral leaders (either religious or secular), where do you see this in your own life?
Where is the consonance between what I “preach” to others and my life as I live it?
Do I include myself in the opening penitential rite at Mass, or am I praying for others who have failed: “Lord Have Mercy”?
Are there instances where I do not always practice what I preach? (honesty, humility, not judging others, generosity, selflessness, etc., etc.)
Am I tempted to revel in being honored or in being given a place of honor?
What can I do to lighten the loads that people are struggling with—loads imposed by themselves or others in their life?
As a baptized member of the Church, whom am I called to serve? Have I accepted that vocation?
Can you think of anyone who serves in teaching and nurturing capacities in our Church, but are often not recognized for the services they render—not treated with the same respect that others in the Church are?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Thomistic Style:

Read Mark 10:34-45. Notice that Jesus in no way condemns ambition but simply teaches the disciples that their desire to be first should be in the area of humble service to others: “Whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all”. Do I have this kind of ambition? What do I need to change in my present way of life in order to do a better job of serving others? How might I, like Jesus, give my life in ransom for others? Speak to Jesus about your need for his help in being a better leader, mentor, director, boss, parent, of others.

(Adapted from Prayer and Temperament by Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey, 1991.)

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style:

In New Seeds of Contemplation Thomas Merton said:

And now I am thinking of the disease which is spiritual pride. I am thinking of the particular unreality that gets into the hearts of saints and eats their sanctity away before it is mature. There is something of this worm in the hearts of all religious [people]. As soon as they have done something which they know to be good in the eyes of God, they tend to take its reality unto themselves and make it their own. They tend to destroy their virtues by claiming them for themselves and clothing their own private illusion of themselves with values that belong to God. Who can escape the desire to breathe a different atmosphere from the rest of [humanity]? (p. 49) The saints are what they are not because their sanctity makes them admirable to others, but because the gift of sainthood makes it possible for them to admire everybody else (p.57).

I write my own psalm, in the first verse thanking God for my own spiritual gifts, but being very careful to not be smug about them. In the second verse I write about the spiritual gifts I admire in others, in and out of ministry, in and out of my Church, being careful not to compare myself to them or others. I sit silently in hope and peace.

Poetic Reflection:

Mary Oliver’s poem: “More Beautiful Than the Honey Locust Tree Are the Words of The Lord” may help capture for you a vision of spiritual humility:

1.
In the household of God I have stumbled in recitation,
And in my mind I have wandered.
I have interrupted worship with discussion.
Once I extinguished the Gospel candle after all the others.
But I never held the cup to my mouth lagging in gratitude.

2.
The Lord forgives many things,
so I have heard.

3.
The deer came into the field.
I saw her peaceful face and heard the shuffle of here breath.
She was sweetened by merriment, and not afraid,
but bold to say
whose field she was crossing: spoke the tap of her foot:
“It is God’s, and not mine.”

But only that she was born in to the poem that God made, and
called the world.

4.
And the goldfinch too
And the black pond I named my little sister, since
otherwise I had none.
And the muskrat, with his shy hands,
And the tiny life of the single pine needle,
which nonetheless shines.

And the priest in her beautiful vestments,
her hand over the chalice.

And the clouds moving, over the valleys of Truro.

5.
All day I watch the sky changing from blue to blue
For you are forever
And I am like a single day that passes.
All day I think thanks for this world,
for the rocks and the tips of the waves,
for the tupelos and the fading roses.
For the wind.
For you are forever
While I am like a single day that passes.
You are the heart of the cedars of Lebanon
and the fir called the Douglas,
the bristlecone and the willow.

6.
It’s close to hopeless,
For what I want to say the red-bird
has said already, and better, in a thousand voices.

The white bear, lifting one enormous paw, has said it better.

You cannot cross one hummock or furrow but it is
His holy ground.

7.
I had such longing, for virtue, for company,
I wanted Christ to be a close as the cross I wear.
I wanted to read and serve, to touch the altar linen.
Instead I went back to the woods where not a single tree
turns its face away.

Instead I prayed, oh Lord, let me be something
Useful and unpretentious.
Even the chimney swift sings.
Even the cobblestones have a task to do, and do it well.

Lord, let me be a flower, even a tare; or a sparrow.
Or the smallest bright stone in a ring worn by someone
Brave and kind, whose name I will never know.
Lord when I sleep I feel you near.

When I wake, and you are already wiping the stars away,
I rose quickly, hoping to be like your wild child
The rose, the honey-maker the honey-vine;
a bird shouting its joy as it floats
Through the gift you have given us: another day.

—From Thirst

Closing Prayer

Sometimes, Lord, when I or others are disappointed in me, I forget your loving and understanding presence. Help me to remember that you are always there, ready to help me help myself. Your love is constant, Lord, and even if I sometimes doubt that anyone cares, especially those in authority over me in any way, you are there for me holding me close to your heart.

Weekly Reflections

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 5, 2023