23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - September 6th, 2020 – Labour Day

 

Today is labour day.  Usually, I have asked Sarah to talk about the value, need for and work of unions.  But today, I’m going to talk about the, until now, uncelebrated workers. 

Today’s first reading addresses our duty to try to warn people away from wickedness. The second reading stresses that our relationships with our neighbour should be one of love.  Therefore, we should do no evil towards them nor should we stand by silently as they do evil to others.  Today’s gospel expands on this. 

Jewish religious leaders had the power "to bind and to loose"; that is, to forbid and to permit.  This power was vested in the religious or rabbinical leaders.  It received its ratification and final sanction from the heavenly court of justice.  The celestial court of justice is metaphorical language to denote that God is the ultimate judge and lawmaker and commands divine servants to do his will.[1]

 

It was in this sense, when appointing his disciples to be his successors that Jesus used the familiar formula in today’s Gospel passage.  By these words he virtually invested them with the same authority as that which he found belonging to the scribes and Pharisees.  But we must keep in mind that later in Matthew’s gospel Jesus warns the disciples against abusing the authority to which they were intrusted.  In Matthew 23, Jesus says, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach.  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them”[2], that is, to ‘loose them,’ as they have the power to do [3]  Today’s religious authorities, like those in Jesus’ time, have the power to forbid and permit.  But—and this is a big ‘but’—rather than bind people with unjust, severe, and immutable burdens, they are to use that power to imitate the love, justice and mercy of God, in the service of God and all God’s handiwork. 

Just like the scribes and Pharisees in the religious sphere, political and corporate leaders “tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear”, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.  While it may not be readily apparent, these readings speak to our obligations as religious people to speak out about injustice. 

The covid-19 pandemic has brought into the light the hardships suffered because of unfair labour practices.  We Canadians like to think that we are better than the Americans in this regard but in truth it’s only a matter of scale.  For example, many jobs that we don’t even now about that keep our lives functioning, are held by People of Colour and immigrants.  We, like the Americans, have come to realize that the term “essential worker” has been applied too narrowly.  Until now, we have ignored their value: warehouse workers, delivery persons, supermarket cashiers, those who clean hospitals and homes, pickup garbage, clean our streets and a myriad of other behind the scenes tasks.  We praise them now but have we worked to ensure they have a living wage, paid sick leave and decent affordable housing?  Have we advocated for the working poor?  Employers who underpay their workers are, in essence, stealing from those workers.  Therefore, they are breaking the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal. 

We can no longer ignore this injustice perpetrated against underpaid workers.  We can no longer deny or belittle the value of unsung labourers.  We can extrapolate that this injustice is wickedness.  Today’s readings suggest, that we are called to shout a warning to those with the power to bind, that is, the power to outlaw unjust labour practices.   Likewise, a living wage for all workers must not only be loosed into society but mandated into law.  I repeat, Jesus says, “If two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.”  This labour day, in addition to prayers, let us make a commitment to encourage our local, provincial and federal political leaders to enact employment justice for all workers.  To put it in lay terms, let us call on lawmakers to use their power to bring about the just society they espouse by incorporating economic justice as vital for common good.  Let us remember as Paul says, “love is the fulfillment of the law.”


[1] Sumner, Paul B. (2018).  “The Heavenly Council in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament” on Hebrew Streams accessed on September 5, 2020 from  http://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/hebrew/council.pdf

 

[2] Matthew 23:2-4 (NRSV)

[3] Kohler, Kaufmann. “Binding and Loosing.” Accessed August 26, 2020. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3307-binding-and-loosing

 

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