Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection August 28, 2024
Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time
28th August 2024 (Wednesday)
Psalter: Week 1
Reading of the Day
First Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18
We command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labour we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Psalm 128:1-2, 4-5 (R. see 1a)
R/. Blessed are all who fear the Lord
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Whoever keeps Christ’s word, in him truly the love of God is perfected
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : Matthew 23:27-32
At that time: Jesus said, “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. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘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’. Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Wednesday – Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: Authenticity and witness of life are the hallmarks of a good disciple of Christ; Any trace of hypocrisy is a clear counter-witness and counter-productive
1. A clear contrast is presented between the true disciples of Christ in the first reading, in the person of Paul and others; and the false guides in the gospel, in the persons of Pharisees and Scribes.
2. The true disciples are assiduous and self-supportive and never burden others. They are holy, just, and blameless. They lead the people by example. They do not place demands on the people, those which they do not follow. They present themselves as models to follow, and this can come only from the deep sincerity and integrity of life.
3. In contrast, we have Pharisees and Scribes who are hypocrites. They are like whitewashed tombs, with a clean exterior but a corrupt interior. They venerate the prophets and the righteous whom their ancestors killed in the past.
4. They attest presumptuously that they would have never acted thus wrongly; but at the same time, they persecute and terminate the prophets and the righteous in their own time, like John the Baptist and his own self.
5. Quite rightly, Jesus defies two notable ingredients of hypocrisy. One is a dichotomy between the exterior and the interior. They appear externally beautiful like the whitewashed tombs but are interiorly so ugly and unclean. Externally they are so righteous, but internally they are full of iniquity and falsity.
6. The second trace of hypocrisy is self-righteousness. This means they rate themselves better than others. They claim that they would have not resisted or killed the prophets of the old like their forefathers.
7. But actually, they are worse than those before. Because in their own time, they persecute and murder prophets like John the Baptist, and later Jesus himself. Further, so devoutly they build tombs and erect monuments in honor of the dead prophets. This is more to cover up their guilt and to project themselves as devout and just persons.
8. For any righteous living, one must get rid of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. This is what we see in St Augustine whom we commemorate today. He was never satisfied with anything of the world, neither the pleasures nor the intelligence. He craved ever more. He sought restlessly for the truth that would satisfy his deep thirst. He discovers the Lord, the Truth.
Practice: One may wear a good look in dishonesty and deceit, but God lays bare everything. One may create best impressions by his worldly cleverness and tact, but God reads and knows the heart
