Veritas - From the APRIM

Truth, Unpopular Positions and Servant Leadership

The Sunday Gospel readings are always very relevant to our lives and this relevance is often crystallised through the homily of a skilled and inspired priest. These are also linked, in some way, to the accompanying 1st Testament reading and the other reading, often from St Paul’s letters. They may inform the decisions of our lives, the interactions we have with others and/or enhance our love of God. Hence, the readings serve a purpose, and during Lent their purpose is amplified.  Whilst I do not claim to be as inspired or skilled as a priest, or as inspirational, I can offer some insights into the themes of recent weeks. The two pairs of readings I refer to,  address the issues of obedience and the glory of God.

Over the last two weeks, the Mass readings have been the pairs of God putting Abraham to the Test (Genesis 22: 1-18) with The Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9: 2-10) for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, and Moses receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17) with Jesus driving Money-changers from the Temple (John 2: 13-25) for the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

The 1st Testament pair are stories of obedience to God. In the Abraham story, he is asked to sacrifice his only precious son Isaac, and at the last moment, God releases him from this enormous and heart-wrenching ask.  As he was obedient, God blesses him with great ancestry.  In the Moses story, following repeated cycles of disobedience from the Israelites, Moses received the Law from God. This is the foundation of the Judeo-Christian moral code, ultimately simplified and revealed through Jesus.

This moral code presents challenges for people for two reasons: the first is original sin – our inherent urge to do the wrong thing; and the second is that we can be trapped into thinking that breaking some of these laws ‘doesn’t hurt anyone’.  We also have a nasty knack of bending the truth (reality) to justify the wrong things we do or support.  For students undertaking their preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation together with their parents, the ‘doesn’t hurt anyone’ mistake is explored and they come to understand that sin is known to one’s own conscience, to God and ultimately does affect every member of the Body of Christ.

An interesting link between both 1st Testament stories and the Transfiguration, is that they are all situated on a mountain.  In the 1st Testament stories, the glory of God is revealed to Abraham and Moses.  In the Transfiguration, early in Jesus’ final journey to his fate in Jerusalem, God’s glory is revealed in Jesus – as Jesus – to Peter, John and James.  Jesus asks that these disciples keep this messianic secret, and they obey.  However, they must be confused by Jesus’ claim that he will die soon, and that his glory can be revealed only after then.

The path to, or cause for, Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of Jewish authority, would have begun to crystallise for His disciples when they saw Jesus admonish the money-changers at the Temple.  Jesus is outraged by their disobedience - their preparedness to capitalise off people’s need to make sacrifices to God in the Temple (as per Jewish custom). This is amplified by the location of these exchanges.  It was clearly unpopular for Jesus to do this, but he was compelled to.

Jesus is the ultimate servant-leader and this is an example of service. To stay firm in upholding the truth, even when it is unpopular, is one of the most difficult services to perform. Jesus knew this and gave two beatitudes for the faithful to remain strong:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

There are multiple examples of truth distortion that are prevalent today, many associated with sexuality and gender.  Sometimes, telling students the truth may be unpopular, even though it is actually a loving act of service.  It is unpopular to tell someone they have an eating disorder because the truth can offend the sufferer, but it is a loving service to say it, and act to improve the sufferer’s plight. The same applies with many deviations from God’s Law that are justified through bending the truth or using the ‘it doesn’t hurt anyone’ line.  Ultimately, it is the individual who must want to follow God’s Law and if they do, with the loving support of others, they will move closer to that state of complete grace. Of course, it must be emphasised that, as Christians we are always called to love the sinner but hate the sin. This love must be unrelenting.

Jesus became the unpopular leader and was crucified for it.  Lent leads to His crucifixion, then Easter Sunday reveals the ultimate glory of Jesus and His service.  As parents and educators, we can take a great deal of comfort from this, and from the Beatitudes.  In Pope Francis’s address to youth for World Youth Day in 2016, he said “Following Jesus, demands a good dose of courage”. I pray for the faithful to act with this courage. The courage to promote the truth, even if it may be holding an unpopular position, because it is an act of service, and hence an act of love.

Mr Matthew Crisanti

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND MISSION