31st Sunday of Ordinary Time
Fr. Ben Riley
My seventh-grade religion teacher is one of the most charismatic men I have ever met. His name is Deacon Danny Hartnedy, and his class was always the highlight of my day. As you can imagine my seventh-grade self was not interested in much more than video games, rock climbing, and hanging out with my friends. Most kids don’t have “religion class” listed as their favorite subject, but Deacon Hartnedy was so energetic, passionate, and maybe a little crazy, that he had a way of making religion class not only interesting, but fun. His classroom was covered in hundreds of holy cards of the saints. He had this habit of banging on the chalkboard when he was trying to make an important point, and sometimes he would get so excited about what he was talking about, that spit would fly from his mouth over the kids in the first row and land on some poor kid’s desk in the second row. When this happened Deacon Danny would frantically apologize and run over to the kid’s desk and mop up his spit with his neck tie. Honestly, I can’t remember anything about what I actually learned in my seventh-grade religion class, but I will always remember the passion and love Deacon Danny showed for the Lord and how he tried to teach it to my ungrateful seventh-grade self.
When I stop and think about it, there are so many people who were such good role models of faith as I was growing up: my parents, of course, Father Greg and Monsignor Kordsmeier, my godparents, and the Franciscan brother from my high school, Brother Richard. All of these men and women were there to teach me, help me, and counsel me during different stages of my life, and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for each one of them.
Can you think of some people who were there for you when you needed them? Who are they: a parent, aunt or uncle, your spouse, maybe it was a sibling, friend, or grandparent? For you parents, I imagine it’s your children who inspire you to be more than you ever thought possible. The truth is, we all need someone we can turn to in a time of need, someone who inspires us and challenges us. No one can go through this life alone. We all need an example to follow.
In our Gospel today, Jesus presents us with a challenging message; a message that calls us to reflect on leadership, on the people we admire and, the people we are striving to become. Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees, who have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. He acknowledges their authority and instructs the people to do and observe all that they tell them. But His words come with a crucial warning: “Do what they tell you, but do not follow their example, for they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on peoples’ shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”
Take a moment and reflect on the people you admire, those who were mentors, teachers, or counselors. Why is it you admire them? I am willing to bet they all have at least one characteristic in common. I have noticed this in the mentors in my life, in Deacon Hartnedy, my parents, brother Richard and all the rest. And what is that characteristic? These people, those who we admire, they are not hypocrites. In other words, they practice what they preach. When it comes down to it. That is one of the main reasons why we admire people. They live by the principles that they teach. There is nothing more frustrating than someone who tries to help you by giving advice, but then doesn’t follow that advice themselves. “Those hypocrites”, as Jesus said, “they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens…but they will not lift a finger to move them.
My brothers and sisters, this is one of the main excuses people give as they abandon their faith. “I used to go to this or that church, but every time I went, the people made me feel unwelcome. The pastor would preach about living simply and giving to the poor, but he drove an expensive car, and dressed in fancy suits. The people at that church claimed to be Christian, but from what I saw, they didn’t act like it. So I stopped going to church.”
Now, are the mentors of our lives, perfect? No, of course not. We are all sinners and are in need of Christ’s mercy. And so, people who abandon their faith because they see a Christian committing sin, well they are missing the point. The Church is not a castle of saints it is a hospital for sinners. But the thing about a wound being healed, including the wound of sin, is that it’s noticeable. I don’t respect Deacon Hartnedy because he is perfect, I respect Him because he is always striving after a deeper relationship with Christ, and as I was growing up, I could see his effort in devotion, prayer, charity, forgiveness, patience, and love.
And so I offer us a challenge: let us be those mentors we admire, by practicing what we preach. We say we are Christian, let’s act like it: being patient when others aggravate us, forgiving those who offend us, practicing chastity and temperance, loving both our neighbors and our enemies, giving to those who are less fortunate, and striving for a deeper relationship with Christ through daily prayer and frequent celebration of the sacraments, especially confession.
Let’s not just be hearers of the Word of God, but doers as well. Let us be the mentors we admire, practicing what we preach, and living by the principles we hold so dear. By doing so, we can be beacons of faith and examples of Christ’s love for others, just like the wonderful individuals who guided and inspired us throughout our lives. Let our actions shine brighter than our words, for it is in living out our faith that we will evangelize the world.
May God bless you.