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31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct.30, 2011 (Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9,13; Mt.

22:1-12) After the Babylonian Exile had ended and the Temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem it was up to those later generations of Jews to see to it that the people carefully observed the law to prevent something worse from happening. In the absence of a king of their own, the Lord of hosts claims his own kingship and now orders Temple priests to return to observing the terms of the covenant of Levy. The covenant of Levy obliged the priests to offer pure sacrifices, which meant animals without defects as prescribed in the book of Leviticus. These priests were setting aside the Law of the Lord to allow the rich and powerful to offer animals of a lower grade as sacrifices, such as blind and /or lame animals (Mal. 1:8). This seems to be the meaning of showing partiality in their decisions. Have we not all one father has led many to assume that this is some kind of ecumenical outreach to the nations. But it probably means to ask whether or not all Jews have not descended from Abraham and the patriarchs like Jacob (Israel). As such all should be treated equally. As it is, the priests were playing favorites and were not fulfilling the terms of the covenant and will have to pay the price for their evil ways. Matthews Gospel rips into the scribes and the Pharisees before an audience of his disciples and the crowds. Much of the animosity in Matthew between Jesus and the Pharisees is actually between Matthew and the Pharisees. Written as it was in the 80s of the first century, Matthew and the Pharisees were going after much of the same audience. Thus much of the anti-Pharisee rhetoric in this Gospel is more from Matthew than from Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees are acknowledged as leaders (taken their seat on the chair of Moses, which means the authority of Moses). Jesus urges the disciples and the crowds to follow their teaching but not their example. This is similar to the priests in Malachis day, who were also scorned. Saying one thing but doing another has brought down leaders in every generation. To make heavy burdens for others to carry but not help them to carry the burden or to help remove the burden is the real source of frustration here. These referred either to prohibitions or to other serious decrees. The external show of their actions (performed to be seen) brings a special word of condemnation. Many warnings against doing things for show can be found in rabbinic writings and in the teachings of Jesus everywhere (see Matt. 6). Rabbi is a Hebrew word meaning literally my great one and in the New Testament period refers to authentic Jewish teachers, as compared with students or

disciples. Matthew insists there is only one teacher (implying it is Christ Jesus). Father was also a title give to Jewish sages, according to Fr. Vivianos commentary in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. He explains that the title crept back into Christianity through the monastic movement. Most of the warnings/advice contained in these verses work also as a warning to the fledgling Christian flock not to make the same kind of mistakes. Humility must be the hallmark of the Christian community in spite of all efforts to the contrary. Matthews community had to have been endangered by this possibility or they wouldnt have been warned here. Every generation must be vigilant and must be reminded constantly: Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Fr. Lawrence Hummer

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