Reflection for Sunday November 5, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Matthew 23:1-12

Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things 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. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation Rabbi.  

As for you, do not be called Rabbi. You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’ you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

The story is told about a father who would always remind his wife and his children to pray the Holy Rosary daily, but the problem is, the father does not lead the way. He commands his family to pray the Holy Rosary, yet he does not join his family in praying it. The father miserably fails in his leadership by not living what he preaches.

How can we become effective sharers of our faith? It's by being a living example of our faith. We also have to be sincere by doing what we preach. For example, if we want our family to pray the Holy Rosary, we first have to lead and show the way. What does this mean? We ourselves have to lead the prayer. Why? Because it's through this act of leadership that we would win the respect and cooperation of our family.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about leadership by example and servanthood. This seems to be a contradiction: how can a leader be a servant at the same time? However, there is no contradiction between these two. They go together like best friends for the simple reason that one cannot exist without the other.

The Pharisees and Scribes were chastised by Jesus for trumpeting themselves as leaders. However, they were leaders in name only, for they did not walk their talk or serve the people they were supposed to serve. They were only good at giving orders. 

How about you, how do you exercise your authority and leadership? – Marino J. Dasmarinas