Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt 23:1-12
November 5, 2023

Style is defined as: a particular manner or technique by which something is done, created, or performed. (Thank you, Google!)

Early on, students involved in the discipline of communication science consider which is more important: the message (substance) or the manner (style) in which the message is delivered. Actually, the debate goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Plato was concerned with truth and not the packaging in which it was wrapped. Then came Aristotle, who felt it was important to “read the room” and present information in such a way that it would be readily accepted and absorbed.

As a senior priest, there are occasions (although few), when I am not needed to preside at Sunday Mass in a parish. When I do “have the weekend off,” I go into tourist mode. I travel to different parishes in and out of our Diocese to experience and share Eucharist in communities that are less familiar to me, or where I have never before had an opportunity to pray.

What I experience is “different styles.”

The architecture of the church is the first thing I notice. Then, immediately walking through the doors, the “style” of the faith community shows itself in how worshipers, especially visitors, are greeted. Music is a great way to evaluate “style.” Certainly, the priest demonstrates a “personal style.” It might be something as obvious as the vestments, the tone of his voice, or the mood and length of the homily. And while liturgical style definitely impacts how The Eucharist is celebrated — good liturgy should be a priority in every parish — the substance stands on its own. We gather in Jesus’s Name and in His memory to hear the Good News proclaimed and then to break and share The Bread of Life and The Cup of our Salvation.

Insofar as Eucharist goes, the substance is all-important.

That certainly seems to be the message in all three of this Sunday’s Readings. Both the Prophet Malachi and Jesus have some pretty severe words for those whose manner of communicating the Good News falls short of what God expects. St. Paul lightens things up a bit. Although self-congratulatory, he describes the transformative power of The Good News when it is passed on in the best possible way.

It would seem that through His teaching and preaching, Jesus demonstrated the most excellent manner of communicating God’s love and mercy. The Lord’s “style” was humble service, forgiveness, and healing. And, in that way, “the substance”…the Message…. The Good News…THE TRUTH…was and continues to be revealed.

St. Francis de Sales suggested a simple way of avoiding the curse that Malachi threatened, or the frustration that the Lord had with the religious leaders of His time Simply put: LIVE JESUS!

All that being said, I wonder if just possibly the most accurate way of evaluating “the style” of a Christian community is by reading the bulletin. The substance of the Eucharist is very much about humble service and outreach. Is a community putting The Good News into action? Does a parish LIVE JESUS? If so, then style and substance have met and God is well pleased. Don’t you think so?