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Commentary on 1 Peter 5:1-4; Psalm 22; Matthew 16:13-19

The Gospel from St Matthew records a dramatic moment in the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. They are at Caesarea Philippi, an area which significantly was home to both Jews and Gentiles, and Jesus begins by asking them what they heard people saying about him. They gave various answers, such as that he might be John the Baptist (returned from the dead after his beheading by Herod), or Elijah (who was expected to return to earth to herald the imminent coming of the Messiah), or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Jesus then asks them:

But who do you say that I am?

It is Simon who speaks up:

You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

It was a very special moment for all of them. Up to this, the man whom they had simply called ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Teacher’ was now acknowledged as no less than the Messiah, the Christ, the one anointed as the Saviour-King of Israel.

In reply, Jesus tells Simon that what he has said are not simply his own words, but are a revelation of God to him:

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

There then comes the solemn mandate and promise. Simon is now given a new name:

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

There is a play on the words ‘Peter’ and ‘rock’. The word for ‘rock’ in Greek is petra and Peter is Petros. There is an irony in the name because it carries more than one meaning. For Peter is called to be the firm foundation of the new community, but before that happens, he shows himself to be a stumbling block trying to frustrate the mission of his Master; he shows himself to be one of the weakest of the disciples.

Nevertheless, Jesus gives him his mission:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven [of God], and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven [i.e. by God], and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, it is his community under the unifying leadership of Peter which will have the mandate to continue the work and mission of Jesus. They will be, literally, the voice of Jesus.

In the First Reading (from the First Letter of Peter—although almost certainly not written by him), we have advice on how Church authority is to be exercised. Peter speaks to community leaders as a fellow “elder”, and as one who was a personal witness of the sufferings of Jesus—hence looking forward to share in his risen glory. He tells them to take care of their flocks as good shepherds, drawing them, but not forcing them, and not pursuing their own personal gain, but rather with enthusiasm for their flocks’ well-being:

Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.

These words are applicable to every position of leadership in the Church be it pope, bishop, priest or lay leader. Then:

…when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.

So, the overall message of today’s feast is of generous and eager cooperation of all members of the Christian community in building up the Body of Christ as a sacrament of the Kingdom throughout the world.

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Commentary on John 5:33-36 Read Friday of Week 3 of Advent – Gospel »

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Commentary on Ecclesiasticus 27:33 – 28:9; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35 Read Sunday of Week 24 of Ordinary Time (Year A) »

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Commentary on Wisdom 3:1-9 or Romans 8:31-39; Luke 9:23-26

The Gospel reading from Luke is a passage which follows closely after Peter’s confession about the identity of Jesus.  In response to Jesus’ question Peter answers:

The Messiah of God. (Luke 9:20)

This is followed by Jesus’ first prediction of his coming death and resurrection.  And immediately afterwards we have today’s passage where Jesus lays down the conditions for being one of his followers:

If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Anyone who wants to be a follower must set aside his own desires, take up his cross every day and follow the Way of the Jesus.  Although this at first sight seems to be a demand to set aside one’s own well-being, it is in fact the way in which we will find what is really in our best interests.  The Way of Jesus is the Way of Life and Truth.  Hence, those who let go of their own spontaneous desires will—maybe to their surprise—find a life much more worthwhile than the one they think they are abandoning.

Have we any evidence for this?  We have, of course, in the lives of hundreds of saints, including those who even let go of their lives for the sake of Jesus’ Way and the well-being of brothers and sisters:

For what does it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit themselves?

The most precious things in life are not money, or status or fame or property.   A priest who worked in one of the most affluent suburbs of Los Angeles said it was the unhappiest place he was ever in, while another priest was amazed by the community spirit of helping and sharing in a rundown public housing estate.

Jesus also warns us about being ashamed of acknowledging our Christian calling.  It is not enough to be a Catholic; it is important to be seen as one.  We are to be the “salt of the earth”; we are to be a lamp that is not hidden away but gives light.  The martyrs we are celebrating today knew where true values lay and they did not conceal their faith in order to save their lives.

There is a choice of two First Readings. The first of these is taken from the Book of Wisdom and is sometimes used in Requiem Masses. It speaks about death and the suffering of the good. No matter how great these sufferings are, they cannot be compared with the peace that comes after death:

In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster and their going from us to be their destruction, but they are at peace.

In the sight of the living, they may have been seen to undergo great suffering, but their hopes were in a future life that could not be taken from them. Their sufferings are minor compared to the blessings that await them.

Like gold being purified by fire, they were tested but as people who had offered their whole lives to their Lord, they win great blessings and He takes them to himself. Because of their integrity and the courage of their lives:

They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect.

This was the spirit which gave such courage to these Korean martyrs who went with such readiness to their death, not hesitating for a moment to remain faithful to the Way of Christ.

The alternate First Reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.  It is a passionate statement in which Paul tells his readers that absolutely everything works together for the good of those who love God.  If God is on our side, what have we to fear from those who are against us?  And suffering in our lives is no indication that God is not with us.

On the contrary, we have the example of Jesus himself, because God, who:

…did not withhold his own Son but gave him up for all of us, how will he not with him also give us everything else? (Rom 8:32)

We have no need to fear anyone who accuses or condemns us because God is always on our side.

Is there anything that can separate us from the love that God extends to us?  It is an infinite and unconditional love.  So no amount of anguish, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or death can come between us and that love.  Many find it difficult to equate suffering with a loving God.  But not the apostle Paul.  He concludes with this magnificent passage:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It was this conviction that helped these martyrs face their death with courage and calmness.  They are words which we too should keep in mind in all the trials and tribulations we may have to face. We pray:

Help me, Lord, to see your loving hand in every person and in every experience of this day.

As a confirmation of Paul’s exhortation we conclude this reflection with words from the last letter of Andrew Kim Taegŏn to his parishioners as he awaited martyrdom with a group of 20 people:

My dear brothers and sisters, know this: Our Lord Jesus Christ, upon descending into the world took innumerable pains upon and constituted the holy Church through his own suffering and increases it through the suffering  passion of the faithful…

Now, however, some 50 or 60 years since holy Church entered into our Korea, the faithful suffer persecutions again. Even today persecution rages, so that many of our friends of the same faith, among whom am I myself, have been thrown into prison. just as you also remain in the midst of persecution. Since we have formed one body, how can we not be saddened in our innermost hearts? How can we not experience the pain of separation in our human faculties?

However, as Scripture says, God cares for the least hair of our heads, and indeed he cares with his omniscience; therefore, how can persecution be considered as anything other than the command of God, or his prize, or precisely his punishment?…

We are twenty here, and thanks be to God all are still well. If anyone is killed, I beg you not to forget his family. I have many more things to say, but how can I express them with pen and paper? I make an end to this letter. Since we are now close to the struggle, I pray you to walk in faith, so that when you have finally entered into Heaven, we may greet one another. I leave you my kiss of love.

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Korea must be unique in that the first seeds of Christianity were planted there by lay people.  The Catholic faith came to Korea in the early 17th century, inspired by the reading of some Catholic books which had come from China. China had a strong cultural influence on Korea and Japan and was one of the reasons why Francis Xavier wanted to go there from Japan. So when the first missionaries arrived in Korea in 1836, they found strong and dynamic Catholic communities led almost entirely by lay people.

However, soon after the arrival of the missionaries, especially in the years 1839, 1846 and 1866, the Christians underwent severe persecutions, resulting in at least 8,000 martyrs.  Most noteworthy among these were a Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, and a lay catechist, Paul Chong Hasang. The vast majority of the martyrs were lay people and they included men and women, married and single, old and young.

Andrew Kim Taegon was Korea’s first Catholic priest. Born on 21 August, 1822, of a noble Korean family, Kim Taegon’s parents were converts and his father was subsequently martyred for being a practicing Christian.  Andrew began his priestly studies at the seminary in Macau and, six years later, was ordained a priest in Shanghai. He then returned to Korea to preach the Gospel. During the Joseon Dynasty, Christianity was strongly suppressed, resulting in the persecution of many Christians (both Catholics and Protestants) and their execution. The Catholic faith had to go underground.  Andrew was one of thousands who gave their life for their faith at this time.  In 1846, when he was just 25 years of age, he was tortured and beheaded. Among his last words were:

This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively. If I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and for my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is on the point of beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death, because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him.

Macau’s famous Camoes Garden (in Portuguese, Jardim Luis de Camoes) contains a statue dedicated to Andrew Kim Taegon. A plaque below it indicates dates and events of the major milestones in his life.

Paul Chong Hasang was born in 1795.  He was the son of Augustine Chong Yakchong, one of Korea’s first converts to Christianity who was himself martyred in 1801 during the persecution of Shin-Yu.  When Yakjong was martyred with Hasang’s older brother, Yakjong’s wife and the other children were spared and took shelter in the countryside. Hasang was then seven years old.

As a layman, Paul reunited the scattered Christians and encouraged them to keep living their faith. For this he wrote the first catechism for the Korean Church entitled Joo Gyo Yo Ji.  He also wrote the Sang-Je-Sang-Su which explained to the Korean government why the Church was no threat to the country.

Paul was employed as a servant to the diplomatic corps and this enabled him to travel to China and Beijing on at least nine occasions.  While he was there he tried to persuade the bishop in Beijing to send missionary priests to Korea.  Through the good offices of the bishop, he sent letters to Pope Gregory XVI (1831-46) in Rome requesting the establishment of a diocese in Korea independent of Beijing.  On 9 September, 1831, Pope Gregory announced the setting up of a Korean diocese.

In 1836, Bishop Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert MEP arrived with two priests of his Society as the first Vicar Apostolic for Korea (and Titular Bishop of Capsa).  The bishop found Paul to be gifted, zealous and virtuous.  He taught him Latin and theology and was about to ordain him priest when the Gi Hye persecution of 1839 broke out. Hasang was captured and made a statement to his judge, defending his Catholic faith. The judge, after reading it, said:

You are right in what you have written, but the king forbids this religion and it is your duty to renounce it.

To which Paul replied:

I have told you that I am a Christian, and will be one until the day of my death.

Paul was then put through a series of tortures during which he remained calm.  He was bound to a cross on a cart and courageously met his death.  He died on 21 September, 1839, and was just 45 years of age.  Bishop Imbert was also martyred at this time.

Among the 103 martyrs being commemorated today there were also Ignatius, the father of Andrew Kim, two other bishops, seven priests of the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP, Paris Foreign Missions Society). There was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of twenty-six. She was put in prison, pierced with hot awls and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals but not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded.

A boy of thirteen, Peter Ryou, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a 41-year-old noble, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death.

In 1925, 79 Korean martyrs were beatified by Pope Pius XI and 24 more in 1968 by Pope Paul VI.  On 6 May, 1984, all 103 were canonised together as saints by Pope John Paul II.  In a break with tradition, the ceremony did not take place in Rome, but in Seoul. Today there are approximately four million Catholics in Korea which has the fourth largest number of saints in the Catholic world.

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Commentary on Galatians 2:19-20; Matthew 28:16-20

The Gospel reading is from the very end of Matthew’s Gospel.  We find the disciples of Jesus gathered, at his instructions, on a mountain in Galilee, the scene of most of Jesus’ public life and where many of his disciples came from.  It is after the resurrection, and the disciples have some problems in recognising their Risen Master.  They have yet to learn that the Risen Jesus is to be recognised in many different faces, in fact, in the face of every one of his followers.

Jesus is about to leave them to go to his Father but, before he goes, he passes on his mission to them.  They are to do what he did.  He tells them:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…

And they are to teach the new followers just what Jesus had taught them, in other words, all that we read in the Gospel. And then there are the final words of encouragement:

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

This is a reminder of the message given to Joseph when he was told that he should take Mary, already pregnant with child, as his wife.  He was reminded that the virgin mother had been foretold by Isaiah:

Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel. (Matt 1:23)

Matthew tells us that ‘Emmanuel’ means ‘God is with us’, and Jesus is now telling his disciples and all other followers that he is Emmanuel, that he will be with his followers for ever.

It was in their obeying of these instructions, making disciples for Christ and baptising them, that Paul Miki and his companions were persecuted, arrested, and at the end, cynically condemned to the same fate as their Master—death on a cross.

In today’s First Reading, from the Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul utters words which are perfectly fitted to the martyrdom of the Japanese Paul and his companions:

I have been crucified [literally, co-crucified, sun-estauromai] with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.

There could not be a more perfect identification with Christ than that manifested by these Nagasaki martyrs, who disregarded their own temporal interests to identify themselves with their crucified Saviour, confident they would rise with him.

Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.
(Luke 23:43)

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Commentary on Hosea 2:16-17,21-22; Psalm 44; Matthew 25:1-13

The Gospel reading comes from Matthew’s account of the end times where Jesus speaks of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and mingles it with images about the Second Coming of Jesus for the General Judgement.  This section also contains three important parables linked to the Final Judgement.

We have the first of these parables as our reading for today’s feast.  Not surprisingly, it is the Parable of the Ten bridesmaids, sometimes referred to as the Ten Virgins.  Jesus says that the Kingdom of God (he uses the word “heaven”) can be compared to ten bridesmaids going out to welcome the bridegroom at a wedding.

Five of them were sensible and had foresight and the other five were foolish.  The sensible ones took a reserve of oil for their lamps while the foolish ones did not.  Then the groom took much longer to come than expected and all the young women became heavy-eyed and sleepy.

At midnight the call went up:

Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.

But as the bridesmaids trimmed their lamps, the foolish ones realised all their oil was used up.  They asked the sensible young women to share some of their oil.  They refused on the grounds that all of them would end up with not enough. They told the foolish bridesmaids to and get more oil.

But, while they were on their way, the groom arrived and those who were ready went into the wedding hall with him and the door was locked. When the foolish young women arrived, they begged for the door to be open:

Lord, lord, open to us.

But he answered with one of the most chilling statements in the Gospel:

Truly I tell you, I do not know you.

The moral is then given – keep your eyes open:

…for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matt 25:13)

We know that in the very early Church many believed—and it is reflected in the earliest letter of Paul—that Jesus would come again during the believers’ lifetime (even in our own days, there are preachers who continue talk about the imminence of the ‘end times’). 

As well, there are people who work on the principle of ‘eat, drink and be merry’ and straighten things out just before the end comes. Jesus is warning that this is not a very good plan.  We do not know when the Bridegroom will come.  We have no idea when life on our planet will come to an end.  Even more practically, we do not know when our own time on this earth will terminate.  The point of these Gospel texts is that, whenever it happens, we be ready, that our lamps are burning bright.

This is not a question of piling up good works and putting them into some celestial account.  It is clear from the Gospel that God does not work that way.  What is important is that at any given moment we are in a right relationship with God.  And how do we do that?  We do it by seeking, finding and serving God in every experience of every day, finding and loving God in every person that comes into our life.  Sometimes we will fail, but we just turn round and start all over again. What is most important is where we are when he calls us.  Strangely enough, we guarantee the future by focusing on the present, on the here and now.

Cecilia was just such a faithful virgin who had consecrated her whole life to God, and in bringing others to know and love him and unhesitatingly, gave that life back to God.

The First Reading is a short passage from the prophet Hosea.  The words describe the Lord speaking to Israel but they can be understood as describing the Lord calling someone to be espoused to him as his bride, very appropriate for someone like Cecilia who has vowed virginity and makes Christ her Spouse:

On that day, says the Lord, you will call me “my husband”…

The Lord then makes his proposal of marriage:

And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.

Words again which apply so well to Cecilia who was truly a Bride of Christ, a Bride who was always ready with her lamp burning to greet her Lord.

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Cecilia was a Roman martyr of the 3rd century, but practically nothing certain is known about her life. About the 4th century AD, there appeared a Greek religious story based on the loves of Cecilia and Valerian, which were a glorification of the celibate life.  It was intended to replace the more sensuous romances such as that of Daphnis and Chloe, then very popular.  Cecilia’s later popularity is mainly due to legends dating from the 5th century, some 200 years after her death.

The tradition is that she was a Christian of noble birth and promised in marriage to a non-Christian named Valerian.  But as she had already made a vow of virginity to God, she let her husband know that she did not want to consummate their marriage.  As a result, her husband and his brother, Tiburtius, themselves became Christians. They were arrested and martyred about the year 230 under the Emperor Alexander Severus.  Soon afterwards, Cecilia herself was brought before the prefect.

She refused to offer pagan sacrifice and converted her persecutors to Christianity, but was then sentenced to death.  Her executioners first tried to kill her by locking her in an overheated sauna-type bathhouse.  When this failed, she was to be decapitated but, after her executioner failed in three attempts, he fled the scene.  Cecilia survived for three days in a semi-conscious state before finally succumbing. In the last three days of her life, she opened her eyes, looked at her family and friends and then closed them forever. Those keeping vigil knew that she had entered paradise. Later her house was dedicated as a church by Pope Urban, who had encouraged her in her fidelity. Unfortunately this story is not confirmed by any other contemporary source.  For instance, she is not mentioned in the writings of Jerome or Ambrose, although they were particularly interested in the martyrs.

While legends frequently arose in the case of many early saints, in Cecilia’s case, her very existence is uncertain (similar to Christopher and Philomena).  The only basis on which her existence might be argued is the existence of a church, called the Titulus Ceciliae in the Trastevere, Rome.

Founded by a certain Roman lady called Cecilia, it dates from about the 5th century and was magnificently rebuilt by Pope Paschal I about 820 when her supposed relics, with those of her companions, were brought there by the pope. The church was again rebuilt by Cardinal Emilio Sfondrati in 1599.  Then the tomb of Cecilia was opened and the body was found incorrupt, but it quickly disintegrated through contact with the air.  The sculptor Maderna, however, made a life-size marble statue of the body “lying on the right side, as a maiden in her bed, her knees drawn together and seeming to be asleep”. A replica of this statue occupies Cecilia’s supposed original tomb in the cemetery of Callistus.  The church was in recent times the titular church of Cardinal Carlo Martini, former Archbishop of Milan.

Cecilia is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the First Eucharist Prayer of the Mass.  She is probably best known as the patron of musicians and choirs since the 16th century.  The origin of this seems to be found in the antiphon taken from the Acts of Saint Cecilia:

As the musical instruments (at her wedding feast) were playing, Cecilia sung (in her heart) to the Lord, saying: ‘May my heart remain unsullied, so that I be not confounded’.

The traditional account of her life is famous as the Second Nun’s Tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  In art, her principal emblem since the 16th century is an organ (as in Raphael’s painting at Bologna) or some other musical instrument such as a lute, but she appears without emblem in ancient representations such as the mosaic in the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo (a 6th century church in Ravenna), and in Roman frescoes in the catacomb of Callixtus and in the church of St Maria Antiqua.

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

We are coming very to near the end of the Church year.  We are also coming to the end of Matthew’s Gospel where there is a growing conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of his people.  Although there is no conflict with the ordinary people who are delighted and amazed at the words and actions of Jesus. The readings today contain serious attacks on the religious leadership.

The prophet Malachi in the First Reading says:

You have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction…so I make you despised and humbled before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction.

A mixed group
It is important to note that, in the Gospel, Jesus is not making an attack on all the Pharisees and all spiritual leaders.  We know that there were some very good Pharisees.  Generally speaking, the Pharisees were among the most observant and devout of Jews.

Nicodemus, the man who came to see Jesus by night, was a Pharisee.  It was he, too, who arranged to have Jesus buried after his death on the cross. Another highly revered Pharisee was Gamaliel, who urged caution in acting against the disciples of Jesus preaching the Gospel:

I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God! (Acts 5:38-39)

What Jesus was attacking was not specific people so much as a certain arrogant and hypocritical way of thinking and acting, of which some people in his time were guilty.

Three points
Jesus attacks this mentality in three areas. First, he says the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees should be followed because they are simply handing on the truths of their faith.  But their behaviour is a different matter altogether; this should not be imitated.  They create a double standard – they say one thing and do another.

The attitude of “Do as I say; not as I do” is something all authority figures, be they parents or priests, politicians or policemen, can sometimes find themselves having in practice. We sometimes tell the young or those ‘under’ us not to do something “because I am telling you” like that in itself is a sufficient reason. 

Real authority is not the exercise of power, but of enabling people to do and be what they are called to do and be.  It is a matter not of overpowering, but of empowering.

This attitude affects not only religious leaders of all times and places, but also politicians who make our laws and do not keep them; teachers who give conflicting messages to their students; above all, parents who create double standards by forbidding their children to do what they have no hesitation in doing themselves.  Worse still, are those leaders – religious, political, educational or parental – who impose heavy obligations but then do nothing to help in their being carried out.

The second criticism is of those in authority who claim special privileges: the wearing of special and distinct uniforms, the expectation that they are deserving of certain perks – not having to pay for certain services, company car, executive dining room, even special toilets!

We all remember the elaborate clothes bishops used to wear implying a certain sacred quality.  Things are simpler nowadays and often bishops are indistinguishable from priests (and, even in some countries, from lay people). Priests, in turn, could in the past use the ‘collar’ to expect special treatment; now many dress like everyone else.  And there is a clear message there about status and power.

And third, there is the question of titles. There are religious leaders who insist on being addressed by their proper titles: Your Eminence, Your Grace, Monsignor or even Father.  In political life and the social scene, great store is often set on titles before one’s name or letters after it.  In some cases, large sums of money were offered to acquire these things.

Only one Lord
The point Jesus makes is that only God himself, as the source of all life, has the right to titles of Lordship or authority. And, only those are truly great who are totally at the service of their brothers and sisters.

You are great when, whoever you are, you use your God-given talents to benefit the people around you.  If you are not doing that you are not great in any sense of the word.

It is easy to read today’s Gospel and start pointing fingers at others, but it is important that we see how it applies in my own life.  The Gospel is always addressed to me.  And today I need to hear what it is saying to me now.

Of course, I can point a criticising finger at all the officials I know, political, religious or otherwise, but am I so different?  How often do I stand on ceremony?  How touchy am I about how people treat me, especially if I have some title or responsibility, even if I am ‘just’ that of a parent or schoolteacher?  Respect cannot be demanded, but only earned.

Like loving mothers
In today’s Second Reading from the First Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul speaks of himself and other Church leaders acting:

like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children…

And, they were ready not only to hand on the Gospel (that is not so difficult), but their “own selves”.  And, unlike the Pharisees and their like, Paul wanted in no way to be a burden on any one. God’s message then comes across as a living power for those who believe.  The Gospel should never come across as a burden.  On the contrary, it is meant to produce a liberating experience, a lifting of burdens.

The Pharisees acted as if their teaching was their own and they expected people to honour them.  Paul, however, in today’s reading tells the Thessalonians that his teaching is not really his:

You received the word of God that you heard from us you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.

It is similar for parents, priests and teachers.  We are only channels of God’s Word and his Truth.  We never grasp it fully and we are simply stewards handing it on.  The only power is the power of the Word itself, the power of Truth and of Love.

So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

That is what service means.  As long as we have our health and energy, each of us should do our best not to be a burden on others.  When we truly try hard to offer what we have for the well-being of others we are not likely to be such a burden.  As we have said before, when everyone is giving, then everyone is receiving.  It is a beautiful way to live but it is not the way of our rat-race, competitive society which thinks only of “How much can I get?”

Fragile vessels
Those we serve need to be aware that what we communicate does not originate from us.  We are, in Paul’s image, ‘fragile vessels of clay’.  There is no need for us to claim that we embody fully in ourselves the ideals of Christ we try to share with others.  There is a vulnerability and weakness in all parents, priests, teachers and other authority figures that we need to admit to openly.

The Church itself is to some extent responsible for placing unrealistic expectations of moral perfection on our clergy.  In the past especially, they were presented somehow as different from “ordinary” people; they lived on a higher plane of humanity from the rest.  When their ‘feet of clay’ are revealed, there is shock and disillusion and scandal.  But scandal is very much in the eye and expectations of the beholder.  Parents and teachers too can have the same problem – not to mention politicians, doctors, lawyers, social workers and the like. 

We all like to surround ourselves with a certain aura, but it is not the reality.  What is difficult to tolerate is the hypocrisy which Jesus so rightly attacks, and of which we are all at one time or another guilty.

When we put ourselves on a pedestal of authority, we are in danger of being knocked down.  When, following the advice of Jesus, we realise that real greatness is in offering ourselves in service as a brother/sister to brothers/sisters, then we are likely to meet support, understanding and cooperation in bringing people closer to God.  For such people, the loneliness at the top will never be a problem.

Children can perfectly understand the weakness of their parents, and adults the foibles of their leaders.  What they really resent is any form of pretence or phoniness and especially double standards. 

We are all given different responsibilities in our community and some of these responsibilities are more demanding or require special qualifications or talent.  But, the greater the responsibility towards a greater number of people, the greater our ability and qualifications, the greater is the demand to serve the needs of one’s community. 

Maybe a political leader needs a driver for his or her car, or to go from A to B by plane or helicopter. But these should be seen, not as “perks” to shore up one’s “dignity”, but as necessary means to carry out more effectively the leader’s mission of service to the people.  But these should be seen, not as “perks” to shore up his “dignity”, but as necessary for him to carry out more effectively his mission of service to his people.  And the same is to be said for a bishop, a priest or the father and mother of a family.

Today’s Gospel, addressed to all of us, calls for integrity and honesty, where there is no pulling of rank, no demand for respect or privilege or a hearing, no double standards, but a deep sense of equality and mutual respect, a desire to serve, to share what we have and are for the benefit all.

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Commentary on Ephesians 3:8-12; Psalm 36; John 15:9-17

The First Reading, from the Letter to the Ephesians, speaks to one of Francis’ outstanding qualities – his effectiveness as a preacher. Paul, while acknowledging his shortcomings, speaks of having been given the grace:

…to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things…

For Francis, it was to preach to those who had been won over by Calvinism, something he did with great success.  It was not unknown for people to burst into applause after he spoke.

During his last visit to Paris in 1618-19, he was constrained to go into the pulpit each day to satisfy the wishes of those who crowded to hear him. It was commented, “Never have such holy, apostolic sermons been preached.”  He also communicated the Gospel message through his numerous writings and letters of spiritual direction.

The Gospel, on the other hand, from the 15th chapter of John’s Gospel, touches on the very heart of the Christian message.  Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper that he loves them in the same way that the Father loves Jesus.  To keep Jesus’ commandments is to be identified with his love, just as Jesus himself identifies totally with the love of the Father for him.

He then gives them the central commandment of his teaching, the fulfilment of which is all they need:

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

It is significant that he does not tell them to love God, nor even to love Jesus himself, but to love all those around them.  Later he will tell them that it is by this love for each other that people will recognise them as disciples of Jesus.  It is by the love they show for their brothers and sisters that they will show they love God.  For, as the First Letter of John says:

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (1 John 4:16)

Francis de Sales was a remarkable exemplar of this teaching.  He not only spoke in those wonderful sermons about love, but practised what he preached.  He was himself a person widely known for his love, gentleness, warmth and sensitivity for the needs of others.  He chose to live a life of extreme simplicity so that he could share more with the poor and needy.

He can be an example for each one of us in different ways.  Like him, we are all called to make the unconditional love of others the real test of our following of Christ and the Gospel.  And, in one way or another, to express that love in word, in deed and in our relationships.