They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even lift a
finger to move them.

They do everything in order to be seen by people: they wear very wide bands of the law around their
foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first places at feasts and the best seats in the
synagogues, and they like being greeted in the marketplace, and being called ‘Master’ by the people.

But you, do not let yourselves be called Master, because you have only one Master, and all of you are
brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father,
he who is in heaven. Nor should you be called Leader, because Christ is the only Leader for you. Let the
greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and
whoever humbles himself shall be made great.

Reflection:

A priest began his homily thus: “I am ashamed to preach what I do not practice. However, if I were to
preach what I practice, it would be far more embarrassing and I would be doubly ashamed.” Rare are
the spiritual leaders whose words and deeds match perfectly. Only of Jesus can we say of being
“Word Incarnate”; everyone else falls short, more or less. This awareness must produce two results:
the leader must become humbly aware of this mismatch between his or her words and deeds and
seek God’s Grace on a continual basis to bridge the gap; and the recipients of the ministry must look
at him or her with compassion and understanding, and as Jesus advices today, must listen to their words
while not necessarily imitating their actions. For imitation, the model of Jesus must suffice. We must
also pray for the leaders as well as for ourselves, for we too fall short.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2022