Daily Readings - Wed Aug 30 2023
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 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.