DAILY GOSPEL AND REFLECTION. AUGUST 26, 2013 ( MONDAY ) Denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees Mt 23:13-22 [Jesus said,] 13“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. [14] 15“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. 16“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.’ 17Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? 18And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ 19You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; 21one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.” Reflection: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. The verbal attack launched by Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees is one of the most severe he makes against anyone. The scribes are the experts in the law, equivalent to our experts in canon law and the Scriptures, while the Pharisees are members of a Jewish sect known for their strict observance of God’s law. The severity of Jesus’ criticism of them is not due to their sinfulness, but to their hypocrisy. Jesus welcomes back to God even sinners who humbly acknowledge their sins. But he cannot stand people who fail to acknowledge their sinfulness and act out a false self before people. There is also something of the scribe and Pharisee in most of us. Let us ask the Lord to unmask us to ourselves and enable us to discard our false selves. Pray, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk 18:13).
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 21:19:31 +0000
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