Scripture:
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Matthew 23:13-22
Reflection:
There comes a time when you just have to lay things out boldly and unvarnished. There comes a moment when you cannot accept what is wrong and you stand for what is right and just.
The gospel today is one such moment in the life of Jesus where he’s had enough. Enough of the false piety. Enough of placing on others unnecessary burdens. Enough of lording over others and seeming to be the gatekeepers to the Kingdom of God. Jesus could not be clearer. Enough!
“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a familiar adage. I am not at all certain that those entrusted with power set out to be corrupt. There are most certainly good women and men who exercise power and authority with a deep sense of humility and kindness. There are also too many examples of those who exercise authority to prove they are powerful and better than others.
What is it in our human nature that tends us to think that we need to tell others how to live their lives? What makes us think we get to create others in the our image and likeness? What makes us uncomfortable with others who look different than us, speak a different language than us, worship differently than us, dress differently than us, or create families that are different than ours?
Enough with the judgment. Enough with the imposition of life-smothering burdens. Enough with the mocking and ridicule of others. “Woe to you…[fill in the blank]!” is not what we want to hear Jesus say to us. Let us, rather, lift others up. Let’s celebrate the marvelous faces of God that are all around us. And then we might rejoice with St. Paul in today’s first reading:
We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,
as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater.
Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.