Daily Readings - Wed Aug 30 2023

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 authenticity of our faith and the integrity of our actions. In the first reading from 1 Thessalonians, St. Paul reminds us of the sincerity and dedication with which he and his companions shared the Gospel. They worked tirelessly, not burdening anyone, and exhorted the people to live in a way worthy of God. Paul emphasizes that the Word of God is not merely human words but a divine force that transforms hearts and lives. This passage calls us to remember that our faith is not just about what we say but about how we live. In the Gospel, Jesus confronts the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, likening them to whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled with decay within. He criticizes their outward show of righteousness while their hearts are filled with hypocrisy and injustice. Jesus’ words are a stark reminder that true faith cannot be reduced to external appearances or rituals; it must flow from a heart that is genuinely transformed by God’s grace. The Pharisees’ failure to recognize this truth leads them to perpetuate the same sins as their ancestors, highlighting the danger of spiritual complacency. These readings challenge us to examine our own lives. Are we living with the same sincerity and dedication as St. Paul, allowing God’s Word to truly transform us? Or are we, like the Pharisees, content with outward appearances while neglecting the inner renewal that faith demands? Let us strive to be people of integrity, whose actions and words align with the truth of the Gospel. May we not only hear the Word of God but also allow it to take root in our hearts, bearing fruit in a life of love, justice, and holiness.