2nd Tuesday of Lent - Call No Man "Father"

 

Jesus’ remarks to the scribes and Pharisees relate to the legalistic approach to the Law to the detriment of humility. He used the word “hypocrites” to describe those who were caught up in the external fulfillment of the Law without seeing the deeper, more important spirit of it.

When Jesus speaks of Moses’s seat, He is referring to the authority of the scribes and Pharisees.

The phylacteries they wore were the small boxes containing Scripture written on scrolls that are worn on the forehead and left arm during prayer to remind them God was to be always on their mind and all their actions for God's glory and honor.

The Jews were to have tassels on the corner of their garments. They were used to make the Commandments ever present among the Jewish people.

When Jesus said, “Call no man father” Our Lord was telling His disciples not to seek titles of honor, nor put other human authorities above God the Father. Terms like “Rabbi” or “father” were often given to esteemed teachers as signs of respect. God is the perfect Father and the all knowing teacher to whom none others bears comparison. The verse does not forbid addressing natural or foster fathers, or for the matter of the ordained priests, by the title “Father”. In fact, the Apostles, referred to themselves and Christians in the communities they founded as their children.

St. Paul refers to himself as “father” in Corinthians 4:14-15, he said, “I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” And St. Paul in Romans 4:16 said, “Abraham is our father.”

Finally, Jesus exhorts all to humble oneself when He said, “...the greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Today, let us strive to not have a legalistic approach to the laws of the Church. Rather let us do all the Church asks of us out of love for Jesus and His Church and for the glory and honor of God, this way if we keep our heart on the Lord, and do things out of love for Him and our neighbor, we will realize we are only God’s servants. But if we fulfill them just to fulfill them, we can end up becoming prideful and judge those who do not do them as well as we think they ought and become a modern day Pharisee.

And let us pray for our Protestant friends, that they may come to understand scripture in the manner God intended and see priests as spiritual fathers to their spiritual children in imitation of St. Paul and the other apostles and early Church priests and bishops.

We turn to the Virgin Mary, who in Her humility said “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” because “God has cast down the mighty and lifted up the lowly”. For truly She was lifted up far above every creature due the lowliness of His handmaid, His servant.