Daily Readings - Wed Aug 28 2019
1 Thessalonians
9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,12encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.13And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
Matthew
27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
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.