Daily Catholic Mass Readings for August 27, 2025
First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2.9-13
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.
Psalm 139
1O LORD, you have searched me and known me!2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.3You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.4Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.7Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?8If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.11If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,"12even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.13For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.16Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!18If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.19Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!20They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain!21Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?22I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.23Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!24And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Gospel: Matthew 23.27-32
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
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages that invite us to reflect on the authenticity of our faith and the integrity of our actions. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians describes the Apostle Paul’s missionary work, emphasizing his dedication, hard work, and fatherly care for the Thessalonian community. Paul and his companions preached the Gospel not for personal gain but out of love, and they labored tirelessly to ensure they were not a burden to others. They exhorted the Thessalonians to live in a way worthy of God’s call, and they rejoiced because the community received the Word of God as divine, not human, and allowed it to transform their lives.
The Gospel from Matthew presents a stark contrast. Jesus denounces the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Outwardly, they appeared righteous, building monuments to the prophets and claiming to honor them. Yet inwardly, they were filled with corruption and iniquity. Jesus accuses them of being sons of those who persecuted the prophets, implying that their actions align with the sins of their ancestors. This passage serves as a warning against superficial piety and the danger of prioritizing appearances over true conversion of heart.
These readings challenge us to examine our own lives. Like Paul, are we living with sincerity and integrity, allowing the Word of God to transform us? Or are we like the scribes and Pharisees, content with outward appearances while neglecting the inner call to holiness? Jesus calls us to authenticity, to a faith that is not just about rituals or external practices but about a deep, abiding relationship with God. Let us strive to live in such a way that our actions reflect the truth of our faith, and may we always remember that true righteousness is not about what others see but about the condition of our hearts before God.