REMAINING FAITHFUL TO THE TRADITION OF THE CHURCH (HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME AUGUST 2022

THEME: REMAINING FAITHFUL TO THE TRADITION OF THE CHURCH

2 These 2: 1-3, 14-17; Matthew 23:23-26

In the context of the parousia (the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ), St. Paul, in the first reading, admonished the church of the Thessalonians, never to depart from the Tradition that had been handed down to them; and must not be deceived by any false alarm either by word or letter that contradicts the Tradition given unto them (2 These 2:2-3)  Here, St. Paul took into cognizance the fact that the Sacred Tradition of the church is essential to the Christian faith. Hence , the recommendation to the Thessalonians that their Fidelity to  Tradition is an indication of the genuineness of their conversion and the certainty of their obtaining the glory of Jesus Christ. 

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the Vatican II Council on Dei Verbum underscores that Divine revelation is the manifestation of God to humanity, for the salvation of man. For it is the desire of God that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  This initiative of God stems from the beginning of creation and reached its fullness in Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus Christ, the Word of God is sum total of divine revelation. 

However, for the sustainability of the revealed truths of faith of the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel transmission was achieve through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who further guarantees its inerrancy. Sacred Tradition and Scared scripture form a single deposit of faith. Thus, Vatican II Council underscored the concrete relationship between sacred scripture and scared tradition as equal, complementary and interdependent.

Sacred Tradition simply is the living transmission of the message of the Gospel of Jesus in the Church. The oral preaching of the Apostles and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit are conserved and handed on as the Deposit of Faith through the Apostolic Succession in the Church

Hence, the task of authentic interpretation and preservation of the word of God (revealed truth), whether in its written or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Magisterium of the Church, with the utmost responsibility of instructing the faithfuls on the path of faith and moral.

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, with the plurality of churches, there is the danger of the misinterpretation of revealed truths of God. Many preachers and churches offer their own opinions in the name of revealed truths. Thus, thwarting the interpretation of the divine messages. We must guide against such false teachings and doctrines and submit to the authentic interpretation offered by the living office of the Magisterium of the Church 

 

In the Gospel reading of today, we hear the 4th and 5th 'woes' which Jesus pronounced upon the scribes and pharisees. Jesus chastised the scribes and Pharisees saying: “woe to you, hypocrites! For you Tithe mint, dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith” (My 23:23). Moses recommended the payment of tithe to the people saying: “set apart a tithe of all the yield of your seed , that is brought in yearly from the fields (Deut 14:22). Jesus was not against the payment of tithe done by the scribes and the Pharisees but the amount of interest and commitment the csribes and Pharisees show on trivial matters while they neglect substantial matters of the commandment. They gave importance to matters that aren't important and never gave importance to matters that are important. 

An obvious example is in the context of the condemnation of Jesus. while the scribes and the Pharisees took Jesus to the headquarters of Pilate early in the morning, they refused to enter the headquarters of Pilate to avoid ritual defilement (Jn 18:28) but they were deeply motivated in anger to condemn and kill and innocent man. 

So for them avoidance of ritual defilement is weghtier than the death of an innocent man. Hypocrites!

 

Another is “woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, you cleanse the outside of the cup and the plate, but leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance (Mt 23:25). Jesus chastised the scribes and the Pharisees, for undermining the cleanliness and purity of the heart and spirit, while concentrating on the neatness of the body alone. This is an act that does not treat the human person as an integral whole but rather as a dualistic object. For the scribes and the pharisees, whether the heart is corrupt and evil, it does not matter in sofar as the body is well taken care of. Other matters of the heart such as 

unforgiven spirit, injustice, wickedness, etc do not matter insofar as the body externally looks good and appealing. 

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the Gospel admonishes us that we must strive to avoid the yeast of the scribes and the pharisees and take seriously as priorities, matters of the Gospel values and the kingdom of God: mercy, justice, charity, love, purity, kindness, forgiveness, tolerance, patience, etc. 

May the graces of God remain sufficient for us at all times

Have a blessed day!

Fr Remi osj