BERNARD, Abbot, Church doctor
St. Bernard (1090-1153), the famous abbot of Clairvaux in the 12th century, reminded popes, kings and princes of what Christ expected of them, especially in the matter of unity and peace and a sense of responsibility for their people; he was called the conscience of his time. But he drew the strength for his determined boldness from a strict ascetic life, marked by prayer and contemplation. Christ was the center of his life: “My daily schedule is Christ’s life,” he wrote.
First Reading: Ezekiel 43:1-9
The man brought me to the east gate. Oh! The bright Glory of the God of Israel rivered out of the east sounding like the roar of floodwaters, and the earth itself glowed with the bright Glory. It looked just like what I had seen when he came to destroy the city, exactly like what I had seen earlier at the Kebar River. And again I fell, face to the ground.
The bright Glory of God poured into the Temple through the east gate. The Spirit put me on my feet and led me to the inside courtyard and—oh! the bright Glory of God filled the Temple!
I heard someone speaking to me from inside the Temple while the man stood beside me. He said, “Son of man, this is the place for my throne, the place I’ll plant my feet. This is the place where I’ll live with the Israelites forever. Neither the people of Israel nor their kings will ever again drag my holy name through the mud with their whoring and the no-god idols their kings set up at all the wayside shrines. When they set up their worship shrines right alongside mine with only a thin wall between them, they dragged my holy name through the mud with their obscene and vile worship. Is it any wonder that I destroyed them in anger? So let them get rid of their whoring ways and the stinking no-god idols introduced by their kings and I’ll move in and live with them forever.
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.
“Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’
“Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.
“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.
Prayer
Lord God,
we celebrate today with gratitude
St. Bernard, your prophet of unity and reconciliation.
Like him, let us find the strength
to speak out and act when needed
in prayer and contemplation,
that we may see the deeper realities
of life and of our world
with eyes of faith and love.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Reflection :
20 August 2022
Matthew 23: 1-12
“Always preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.”
Those who utter lots of “blah, blah, blah” with the Word of God but do not practice it are getting a direct rebuke in the Gospel today. Jesus harshly criticises scribes and Pharisees – He was harsh on those who used God and religion for their own advantages and prestige.
The disciples of Jesus are called to be people of few words but with more action. The famous advice of Saint Francis of Assisi, when he sent two of his friars to evangelise the Muslims who were then occupying the Holy Land, is worth recalling: “Always preach the Gospel, use words when necessary”. Evangelisation does not necessarily mean talking a lot or preaching a doctrine.
The Pharisees and the scribes proclaimed themselves as official interpreters of the Thora – the Law of Moses; they interpreted what was good and evil. However, Jesus criticises them for their acts of public performances of piety to impress the crowd.
Word of God reminds us, especially those in authority in the Church, to avoid public displays of fasting and penance, as well as kneeling and praying many prayers in front of everyone, when our behaviour and relationships with people do not reflect this external show of spirituality. It is appropriate that all of us who have any authority in the Church read this passage carefully and review our lives. Let us not fall among the category of those who roll unbearable burdens on others, and then we do not move a finger to help.”
Commenting on the gospel passage, Pope Francis says, “A common mistake of those in civil or ecclesiastical authority is demanding people to do things — even righteous things — that they fail to practise in the first person. They live a double life. This sets a bad example of authority. Authority is a help, but if it is wrongly exercised, it becomes oppressive; it does not allow people to grow, creates a climate of distrust and hostility, and leads to corruption.
“We disciples of Jesus must not seek titles of honour, authority or supremacy. We must not consider ourselves superior to others; modesty is essential for an existence that seeks to conform to the teaching of Jesus, who is meek and humble of heart and came not to be served but to serve.”
Video available on Youtube: “Always preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.”