Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - 2nd Week of Lent - Tues
[Isa 1:10, 16-20 and Matt 23:1-12]TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017. TUESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT [Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 and Matthew 23:1-12] "The scribes and. The Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe 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." Most of us are familiar with the words, "Practice what you preach." Those words become even more sensitive to me who am a full time itinerant preacher! The scribes and Pharisees became powerful and, in some cases, wealthy, through their ability to interpret and manipulate the religious observances that entered into much of Jewish daily life and worship. Jesus takes aim at them because some of them had become corrupt and were only interested in power and prestige. Chapter 23 of the Gospel According to Matthew is a scorching indictment. Their failing, however, is a common problem for those who wield power of various kinds in the name of religious values. It is a problem from the highest to the lowest levels in church life. When Jesus' words in the last lines of today's gospel scripture ("The greatest among you must be your servant.") are forgotten, then burdens pile up on the shoulders of ordinary folks. Lord Acton's dictum, "Power corrupts" comes to mind. Lent is a good time for anyone who exercises a ministry among the People of God to look deeply into the way he or she exercises that ministry and the motives that move him or her to do it. Pope Francis took the Roman Curia to task for various aspects of this problem, but he might as well have been speaking to all of us who minister in the community. Jesus' words should echo in all of us, from Pontiff to pew person. AMEN
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