Daily Mass Readings for Monday, 28 August 2023
First Reading: First Thessalonians 1: 1-5, 8b-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 149: 1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
Alleluia: John 10: 27
Gospel: Matthew 23: 13-22
Monday, 28 August 2023
First Reading
First Thessalonians 1: 1-5, 8b-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen.
For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
In every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, Jesus,
who delivers us from the coming wrath.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Alleluia
Jn 10:27
Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 23:13-22
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it."
Todays Reflection
Unity of Truth and Virtue
Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees, stating that they were hypocrites, a disconnect between what they say and do. They claimed to be leading people to salvation but were condemning the very source of salvation. They taught some truths but failed to teach with the virtue that comes from God, and some were erroneous, as they were more concerned about their public persona than the truth.
These two opposing tendencies are a source of much division within our Church today. On the extreme right, those preach doctrine but fail to exercise the necessary virtue to be effective instruments of those truths, while on the extreme left, those deemphasize the clear moral and doctrinal truths given to us by our Lord. Compassion is not compassionate if it lacks truth, and the truth is not true if it is not presented with the virtues by which our Lord wants them brought forth.
To overcome hypocrisy, we must embrace every moral and doctrinal precept given by our Lord and strive to present the full Gospel with the greatest virtue. By striving for true holiness, we can overcome every form of hypocrisy within our lives and thrive as a pure instrument of His saving grace.
In this text, Jesus prays for the freedom of the religious leaders of the time to be powerful instruments of His saving Gospel by presenting all truth in pure love.
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