Homily for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

A Challenge To The Shepherds Of The Church

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, November 5, 2023

The words we hear today from the prophet Malachi (1:14b-2:2b, 8-10) about corrupt religious leadership makes me nervous. Through Malachi, God speaks and faults and accuses his own priests of two things: first, “You… have caused many to falter by your instructions,” and, second, “You have made void the covenant,” you made with God and with the people of God. God is accusing ancient Israelite priests for not teaching the whole truth, and for disobeying God’s commandment. Since the Word of God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the same accusation can be extended to the priests of today. I tell you, the prophet Malachi’s prophetic message troubled me a great deal and it is still troubling me. One promise I made to God on June 30, 2007—the day of my ordination, is to always teach the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of the faith, even when it is not safe to do so and no matter whose interests are affected. I’ve been a priest for 16 years and have served in four different parishes in the USA. Have I always kept this promise? As my community was having our lunch last week (Friday, October 27, 2023), I said to Fr. Gary Lauenstein, “I have mastered the art of saying no to certain food and drink I know are not healthy for me. No matter the pressure from those around me, once I know it is not good for me, I don’t cave in. Now, I am praying to God to give me the same resistance, the same grace and ability to say no to any attitude and behavior I know is not good for my spiritual life. If I can achieve that, I will be a saint. I don’t know why God hasn’t answered me yet.” Looking at me with a smile, Fr. Gary said, “May be, God wants to keep you humble. He wants to prevent you from falling into another sin, the sin of pride.” 

Now, why is it important to teach the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of faith? The objective truth provides the framework for all of us to live a saintly life. Teaching the truth is like showing someone the right path to his or her destination. A priest is a teacher of the faith; he is a custodian of the faith; he is a sign, a messenger and not the message. The Message is Jesus Christ. The role of the priest is to be a sign that points to Jesus. Using the Scripture and the Traditions of the Church, the priest shows us, among many other paths, the right path to Jesus. Jesus himself said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one can come to the Father except through me.” A priest, a bishop or a pope who teaches heresy and gives false instruction does the following: makes a mockery of the faith, sows confusion, makes himself the message, that is, the founder of Christianity, points to the wrong direction, misleads people and sadly jeopardizes their salvation and his as well. This is the reason why St. Paul, in many of his Letters, warns us of false teaching, false teachers and the errors they foster. I believe with my whole heart, soul and mind that the whole Gospel should be preached and taught with clarity and charity. The twelve Jewish disciples of Jesus converted the obstinate Roman Empire by teaching the truth and living holy lives. If priests, bishops and religious do the same today, lots of people will be flocking back to the Church. Imagine what would happen if we preach the whole Gospel of Jesus and live a life of love and not lust. If the shepherds of the Church had been good shepherds and cared for the sheep rather than molesting them, people would believe us and trust us. But this does not let you, the laity off the hook. By your baptism, you are also a priest, a royal priest. You are baptized into Christ and are also called to witness for him. Do you realize that your family is the domestic church? Parents, do you realize that in your domestic church, in your family, you are the pastorcito, little shepherds in Spanish. Are you teaching your children the truth of faith by words and example? If you teach them one thing, and then do the opposite, you are like an unholy priest, a bad pastor. If you are constantly arguing, quarreling, and fighting before their children, and refusing to forgive each other, you are like a bad priest. On your wedding day, you promise fidelity to each other. But if after months and years, you start cheating on your spouse, you are like that priest who promised celibacy and chastity on his ordination day. But after that, betrays the oat. Today, let’s re-commit ourselves to the truth in words and deeds. Truth cannot be a lie, and a lie cannot be a truth. Goodness cannot be bad, and badness cannot be good. Good people can be a little bad and bad people can be a little good, but goodness is not a little bad and badness is not a little good. 

With this in mind, let’s touch on the Gospel. In today’s Gospel (Matthew 23:1-12), Jesus says, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Call no one on earth ‘father’? Including our biological dads and priests? What’s the Lord talking about? Jesus is using a method of teaching called hyperbole. What is hyperbole? It is a pedagogical tool or method of using exaggerated narratives, description, emotions, images etc in order to make a point. One classic example among the many of Jesus using hyperbole is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:29:30 where he says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body be thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better. for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.” In those words, Jesus is using exaggeration in order to make a point. He is not expecting his disciples to mutilate their bodies to avoid yielding to sin. He is talking about the radical nature of commitment to the Kingdom of God, meaning that we must root out sin wherever we find it. If you are a teacher, a parent, you know that sometimes you use exaggeration to teach your students and kids because sometimes, they get tired, bored and distracted. And one of the ways to help them remember what you are teaching is to exaggerate and use hyperbole as a technique for teaching. Even though I am called ‘father’ I am not the Father, the Source and Paternity of all reality and truth. As people who love honor and titles, we should be careful not to use names and titles that exclusively belong to God. If you are given such a title as a way of honoring you, do not accept it. You are not “Agu n’eche mba.” You are not “Owa na etiri oha.” You are a mere mortal, meaning that one day, you will pass away. No matter how significant you are, do not behave as if you are the alpha and omega. If you are not there, life will move on, life will continue. But if God is not there, all things and all beings will dangerously come to an end.