One of the memories of my religious formation as a young child was being instructed to greet the priests of the parish: “Good morning, Good evening Father, Thank you, Father” and to kiss his hand. It is indeed our Catholic custom to address our priests as “Father” and the Pope as “Holy Father.” And yet in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us, "Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven." Is our practice, a violation of Sacred Scripture? Should we then refrain from calling our parent, father? How are we to understand this Scripture passage? Are we wrong to use titles at all?
Here, as in other places in the Gospel, Our Lord uses hyperbole, which we might call, “Aramaic exaggeration" in order to make a point. We use hyperbole as well:
I told you a million times.
His brain is the size of a pea.
I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
I have a ton of homework
Fr. Jean is so thin; you could knock him over with a feather.
Did Our Lord really mean that we should hate our families and ourselves in order to his follower? After all, he said, “If anyone comes to me, who does not hate his father, and mother, wife, and children, his brothers and sisters, indeed his very self, cannot be my follower.” Did Jesus really mean that we must pluck out our eyes in moments of lust? No…this was hyperbole.
Our Lord wants to teach us something important about titles and honours, about authority and leadership. He makes an example of the Scribes and Pharisees, whom he rebuked for their inconsistency, their hypocrisy and pride.
Today Our Lord warns us that we should not be fooled into thinking that outward display is enough in the spiritual life. He rejects the habit of “showing off," seeking honours and attention. A disciple has to keep worldly honours and position in proper perspective. A disciple must live with a certain humility and modesty. St. Vincent DePaul said, “A good deed talked about is a good deed spoiled.”
The disciple takes a different path. His or her understanding of greatness is different that of the world. “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” This is the heart of today’s Gospel teaching.
A disciple must keep in his or her eyes, the Lord, who laid aside the garments of glory for a towel and took up a slave’s task in order to wash his disciples’ feet. The servant does not take the highest place or the box seats. The servant understands that true greatness lies not in worldly influence or the domination of others, but in humble service.
Whether we are cleric, religious, lay man or woman—if we aspire to greatness, let us first serve. Let us be the first to forgive, to heal, to minister. May we find our honour, our boast, in the title Jesus gives us…Friends.
