The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees

August 25, 2021, Wednesday
Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
(Opt. Memorial) Saint Louis of France, King (White)
(Opt. Memorial) Saint Joseph Calasanz, Priest (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 427

Reading I
1 Thes 2:9-13

You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.

Responsorial Psalm
139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

R.    (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Where can I go from your spirit?
    From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.

R.    You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

If I take the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
    and your right hand hold me fast.

R.    You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall hide me,
    and night shall be my light”–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
    and night shines as the day.

R.    You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Alleluia
1 Jn 2:5

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 23:27-32

Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”

REFLECTION:

Once again Jesus challenges the scribes and Pharisees to think differently about how they live from day today. He challenges them to look at what is going on in their inner selves, the part of themselves they hide from one another, and indeed, from themselves. They are living on the surface of life but it has no real meaning. They cannot see how their way of life has an impact on others.

PRAYER:

I pray that the eye of my heart be clear, so that I may be aware of the inconsistencies in my thoughts and in my actions. I ask for pardon for all my hypocrisy and pray for those who suffer because of my weakness.