Daily Readings - Wed Aug 30 2023

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 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.