Fervorino for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice” (Matthew 33: 2–3). Our Lord here draws a distinction between the person and the office. A person who holds an office with authority can command our obedience, even if they are not a good person, as long as their commands do not go against the law of God. Now, it is certainly better that a leader of any kind be good and wise. But the authority they receive is not from themselves. So why are we told not to call anyone teacher, doctor, father, etc.? After all, we call teachers “teacher.” We call doctors “doctor.” We call our fathers “father,” or some equivalent like “dad,” “pa,” “pops,” etc. Our Lord is reminding us that all authority comes from above. We should not puff ourselves up because we hold an office, be it in the Church or in the world. Rather, we should recognize that all authority comes from God and use it accordingly: “Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above’” (John 19: 11).