November 5, Sunday of the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings:Malachi 1:14-2:2,8-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13; Matthew 23:1-12
The thirty-first Sunday in ordinary time invites us to make our Christian faith a practice of the heart.
God is furious with Israel's unfaithful priesthood in the first reading. They portrayed religion and God as only symbols. Their superficial relationship with God revealed their shallow faith. Their worship of God was formal and never developed into a spiritual connection. In essence, God disapproves of their heartless faith.
The second reading shows Paul's excellent conduct among the Thessalonians while announcing the Gospel. Paul credits his hard work for giving the Thessalonians a credible means to exercise their new religion. His outstanding living shows the integrity of Paul's Good News to the Thessalonians.
Identifying the Scribes and Pharisees helps explain Jesus' gospel teaching. Scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses' throne, symbolizing authority. Jesus accepted the Scribes and Pharisees' authority. Jesus doubts they are worthy models, which raises the second question.
They do what? The Scribes and Pharisees taught religious truths but did not practice them. Given the hypocrisy controversy, Jesus concluded that ‘they will not lift a finger to move.’ Piety and kindness were displayed. They misrepresented the truth if the finest advice is lived.
How should you? Followers are supposed to be ‘different.’ That difference is how it surpasses the Scribe and Pharisee purity (Mt 5:20). To set Christians apart, Jesus advises humility and piety.
The readings of the day contain practical implications for our discipleship.
First, true spirituality means being close to God. Our deep relationship with God alters us, making neighborly love a natural consequence.
Second, Mother Teresa stated, ‘Helping hands are better than praying lips.’ Choose practice over rhetoric, and let it influence it. We should address the witnessing gap in our lives.
Third, Christianity is about ‘contrast and difference.’ Forgetting that we "are" the salt and light would be to ignore the invitation to be different. As persons ‘called to be a cut above the rest,’ we should strive to emulate Christ.
By embodying these traits, we can make Christianity a heartfelt practice!
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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