We are all learners!

Matthew 23:8-12

8-10 Jesus said to his disciples: “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.

11-12 “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.

Food for thought!

There's lot of food for thought for all of us in today's gospel reading. You can't read it and talk; its best response is silence.  It is a reading that reminds us a number of things that need to be corrected in our faith, our lives, our (Catholic) Church, in our world. Jesus is saying that we are all standing on level ground; nobody should pretend to stand on higher ground than others: "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."

Why did Christ say these words? Because he is our saviour; he came to save us from bad practices, bad traditions, bad customs, bad policies. He came to show us the right way of living and being. He came to teach us; "You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates." This means that only Jesus can and must tell us what to do. In other words, " 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."

Jesus warns us against divinizing humans. In other words, if any human, church member or politician, or any relative or friend, tells you anything that contradicts Jesus don't do it; only God can dictate to us.

A preacher is no better than the people in the pews! He is one of them, struggling like anybody, and given a call to proclaim the Goodnews to his or her brothers and sisters, but that is all! He is not to be exalted. He is not to be worshiped. He is not to be viewed as a superior, but as an equal in the eyes of God! "You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates."

If anybody whosoever tell you anything contradictory to what Jesus teaches you to do and be, don't do it. Nobody, should tell us to do what is contradictory to the gospel. Only God can tell us what to do. And He has told us whom to listen to, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him!"