Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Malachi 1: 14 - 2: 8-10;

1 Thessalonians 2: 7-9, 13;

Matthew 23: 1-12;

Today's Gospel reminds us that all authority - including religious authority - has to be respected but it must also be challenged whenever its practice is out of line with its teaching.   Jesus  warns  the scribes, the  Pharisees, the leading lights in His faith, that they must not be over-critical about trivial things - things which don't really matter in the bigger picture.  He points out that all people have to be listeners to God's message; that listening is something which all of us have to do together, regardless of status.

So He provides a warning about anything which can hamper the work of bringing about the Kingdom, not only for the people at the top, but for the foot soldiers, all those who simply wait to follow orders, rather than take on personal responsibility, instead of trying to build our own little kingdom where our work, our status, or our wealth all become the centre of our universe.

Instead, Jesus wants to remind and teach us that serving others is our call to holiness, and humility is the greatest of the virtues.  Nobody likes a show-off, and when we start boasting about what we've got, flaunting our wealth, how we've made it in business or at home with the latest in furnishings or decoration, then we're falling into that trap where material possessions become the be-all and the end-all.

Of course, these things are all important everyone likes to have their house looking good, a nice car, be well dressed ... but as long as they don't become  all   important,  to  the  exclusion  of everything and everyone else, then we can be sure that we're trying to live and further God's Kingdom to the best of our ability.