31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr A
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr A
05 November 2017
Homily
When I was studying Homiletics (the art and style of giving homilies) at the Seminary, we were given a couple of warnings, and a few “heads-up”.
The warnings included avoiding “aircraft carrier” homilies- which is where you go in circles because you cannot work out how to stop; another was the “salad sermon”. That one was when you always finish by saying “let us ..”(lettuce) do such and such.
One of the”heads-up”was that virtually all homilists will have a few themes to which they will regularly return. This is not necessarily a bad thing – as long as you knew what those themes were!
I had trouble writing this Sunday’s homily, as I recognised that it led me directly to one of my (known, at least,J) themes. And that is the place of “rules”. My family would be surprised at me having a theme of not being too rigid to the rules! They see me as someone entirely too rule bound!
Today’s Readings, at first sight, look like a straightforward condemnation of Jewish legal rigidity. Yet, if we listen attentively, it is not the Law itself that is being condemned but the actions of a small group of religious leaders. They are interpreting the Law in such a way as to make it a burden – and to make themselves, not God, the source of power.
Such an attitude is not restricted to religion. Have you ever attended a sporting event where the umpires/referees are so strict and technical in their interpretations that the game itself never really flows?
Such an attitude is not necessarily coming from the interpreters either. It may be effectively asked for by people who want “certainty”. I can remember, as a child, another student asking for an exact accounting of exactly how much of Mass did you have to attend for it “to count”. Did you have to be there at the start? Was it okay to leave immediately after Communion?
Now that is a pharisaical mindset! The questioner was really missing the whole point.
Now, this does not mean open slather or Rafferty’s rules. We must have rules and guidelines to get things done. Could you play a sport where the rules were whatever any and each individual decided?
The point is how are we using those “rules”, the doctrines and Scriptures? Re they being interpreted in ways that lead to life and growth- or in ways that restrict and create burdens?