Daily Readings - Wed Aug 28 2019

⁹For you remember, brothers, our hardship and weariness. We preached the Gospel of God among you, working night and day, so that we would not be burdensome to any of you¹⁰You are witnesses, as is God, of how holy and just and blameless we were with you who have believed¹¹And you know the manner, with each one of you, like a father with his sons¹²in which we were pleading with you and consoling you, bearing witness, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of God, who has called you into his kingdom and glory¹³For this reason also, we give thanks to God without ceasing: because, when you had accepted from us the Word of the hearing of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but (as it truly is) as the Word of God, who is working in you who have believed

Matthew

Chapter 23

²⁷Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed sepulchers, which outwardly appear brilliant to men, yet truly, inside, they are filled with the bones of the dead and with all filth²⁸So also, you certainly appear to men outwardly to be just. But inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity²⁹Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, who build the sepulchers of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the just³⁰And then you say, ‘If we had been there in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in the blood of the prophets.³¹And so you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets³²Complete, then, the measure of your fathers

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the integrity of our faith and the way we live it out. In the first reading from 1 Thessalonians, St. Paul reminds us of the selfless dedication of the early missionaries who preached the Gospel with hardship and toil, not burdening anyone, but instead living blamelessly and justly. He emphasizes that the Word of God they shared was not merely human words but the divine Word that transforms hearts. This passage calls us to consider how we receive and live out the Word of God in our own lives. Are we open to its transformative power, or do we treat it as just another piece of advice? In the Gospel, Jesus delivers a stern warning to the scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites because they appear righteous outwardly but are inwardly filled with corruption. He compares them to whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled with decay within. This is a powerful critique of religious hypocrisy, where outward appearances mask inner emptiness. Jesus is not condemning rituals or traditions but highlighting the disconnect between outward piety and inner sincerity. This challenges us to examine our own lives: do our actions and words align with our faith, or are we more concerned with how we appear to others? These readings remind us that true faith is not about external displays but about inner transformation. St. Paul’s example shows us that living the Gospel means embracing humility, hard work, and a genuine love for others. Jesus’ words warn us against the danger of hypocrisy, urging us instead to cultivate authenticity and integrity. Let us ask ourselves: am I living my faith in a way that reflects the truth of the Gospel, or am I content with a superficial religiosity? May we strive to be people of substance, whose lives are shaped by the Word of God and reflect its power in both our hearts and our actions.