Walking with Jesus: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, November 5, 2023

Malachi 1:14-2:2, 8-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13; Matthew 23: 1-12

It seems that there is a strong tendency to live our lives according to social and mass media. We could add that we are being bombarded with words and descriptions from leaders who seek our affirmation and trust. Mailings upon mailings compounded by media advertising, especially during recent weeks, urge us to vote for this person or that person … to send money for their campaigns. The avalanche seems to be without end, and the “prime question” is: Whom can I trust? Which individual has my interests? Do they care about me, or about power? Are they concerned about the good of the community, or about being recognized as an elected, important leader? Do their words, promises and actions align with those of Christ our teacher? Are they telling the truth, or the “abridged truth?” (We might consider replacing “abridged” with “shortened” … “compressed” … “pruned” … “redacted” … “reduced” … “convenient.”)

Today’s readings identify a leader’s responsibilities. Of prime importance is exemplifying what it means to live by God’s Ten Commandments and Jesus’ law of love. Asked by a scholar of the law who is testing Him, “'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' He said to him: 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.'” [Matthew 22:36-40]

What does it mean to live by the divine commandment? To honor God’s law and to lead by serving!

In today’s first reading, God summons leaders to keep their followers from going astray. We hear from Malachi the prophet, whose name means “my messenger.” How fitting, since his goal is to bring God’s message to the people who need to hear what God has to say. Don’t we need to be clear about God’s words? The community recently has returned from exile and they have been in the process of replacing the temple in Jerusalem with a new one. They desperately need direction in continuing to grow in the rich tradition of their faith. Today Malachi is reprimanding the priests for failing to give people direction because they are more concerned with saying “how great they are.” If the priests refuse to listen, God will take away their privileged position, telling the people not to listen to them. Malachi tells the priests to respect the covenant God made with the people: “I will be your God, you will be my people.” In the closing lines Malachi delivers yet another abuse God has for the priests: They have made decisions based on partiality rather than truth, and they have not treated every person as a child of God ... one who is to be respected, honored and loved. During the Exodus, Moses consistently reminds the people of Israel that “you were once aliens yourselves.” Future authors insist that the people must be compassionate. The dignity accorded the most vulnerable takes precedence over commonly accepted economic practices.

Paul’s last words today — “Jesus who delivers us from the coming wrath” [1 Thessalonians 1:10] — refer to the people's rejection of traditional ways during their exile. They have had to exercise patience as they await God’s plan that is to come. Now they are called to be examples. Like Paul, they must be examples of what belief in Jesus entails. Paul continues to encourage the message of hope. That is a good question for ourselves: With all that is going on in the world around us and even in our own country, are we the people dedicated to God’s command to be people of love, care, forgiveness? This is the only way that God’s message of hope can be enforced. Am I living this way?

Today’s gospel reflects the problem that exists in the Christian community with other Jews. The Pharisees test Jesus by trying to prove that they know what God teaches — not what's coming from this “upstart.” In asking which is the greatest command, the Pharisees are expecting Jesus to cite what He feels is essential about the law.  Jesus surprises them again: love of God and love of neighbor, basing the entirety of all law on the law of love. So every detail of their lives depends on love. Jesus shows this by saying “yes” to the Father’s plan. This plan has included leaving heaven, becoming one of us and dying on the cross at the hands of people that He created. The popular notion about love today is emotional, sensual, personal. It steeps itself in the mantra of “I do what I want to do because I do it and it makes me happy and complete.”

Jesus, on the other hand, calls us to do what God wants us to do and empowers us to do this by His love for us. That — and not a feeling inside — is love of God. So what is it? John 3:14 shares the experience of Nicodemus, who wanted to know how one can enter the kingdom of God. Jesus tells him, “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.” [John 3:5] Nicodemus asks how this can happen. What's the bottom line? Jesus declares: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” [John 3:14] We know love when we unite ourselves with God’s plan … God’s will. Love of God means we worship only Him … not our families, jobs, possessions or pleasurable fantasies. Loving means that we are to ask God what His love is and to teach us His ways. Then we will be able to love our neighbor as God loves: freely, generously, and without reservation. It’s never my will, but God’s command of love of all.

So I reflect on:

• Am I paying attention to those whose lives have been hurt, abused, corrupted by a society that puts them down and treats them as non-people?
• Am I living God’s promise of a future with Him in heaven by being a loving person? Only then can bad news become Good News.

Sacred Space 2023 states:

“I recall what Paul once said, that whatever I do without love is absolutely worthless. I look at the quality of my love, and ask for a truly loving heart.”