Temptations of Power

Homily for Tuesday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest text in the New Testament. This is the first of St. Paul’s letters which were all composed before the Gospels.

In the Gospel text for today we find Jesus correcting the Pharisees for giving immense attention to details of the law while ignoring much larger principles such as justice and mercy. St. Paul, once a high-powered Pharisee himself, does the opposite of those in the Gospel. He preaches the Gospel to serve Christ, but he does not seek the praise of people. He was willing to suffer for the truth. He endured persecution for the salvation of others. Paul understood the greater values of love and community. While both Paul and the Pharisees were religious leaders, Paul used his religious authority to serve, and the scribes and Pharisees did not.

The temptations and corruptive nature of power have always been a challenge for anyone in leadership regardless of the level of authority or the organization in which it is exercised. Thus, Jesus’ words are an excellent warning for all believers. We need to make sure our priorities are ordered toward Christ and not ourselves. Our baptismal vocation of holiness can only be accomplished if we surrender to the one who is truly holy.

Gnats and camels are not our usual fare, but here in this Eucharist the body and blood of Christ are offered for our partaking. Only by eating and drinking at this table are we freed from the blindness that you bedeviled the scribes and Pharisees – from the blindness that can hobble us in our efforts to serve Christ and one another.