Daily Readings - Wed Aug 28 2019

⁹For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.¹¹For you know how, like a father with his children,¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.¹³And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Matthew

Chapter 23

²⁷"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.²⁸So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.²⁹"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,³⁰saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'³¹Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.³²Fill up, 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.