Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Mt 23: 27-32
August 30, 2023 | Wednesday
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful in appearance; but, inside, there are only dead bones and uncleanness. In the same way, you appear religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within.
‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and decorate the monuments of the righteous. You say: Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets. So, you, yourselves, confess to be the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. And now, finish off what your ancestors began!
Today’s Reflection:
The Church is usually accused of hypocrisy especially when it speaks for truth and moral uprightness. The accusers would cite the Church’s failure to be a beacon of light as some of her leaders are also doers of injustices and scandals. We must, however, remember that when the Church speaks and sides for correctness, her action is to remind her members of their collective responsibility to care for and defend truth and morality. Standing for truth and morality is not hypocrisy just because one is soiled with imperfection. Hypocrisy is but the impudence to wash off oneself from any stain and to point fingers at the imperfection of others. The scribes and Pharisees were called out by Jesus because of the same state of mind. If one is hard on others but lax about one’s actions is an indicator of hypocrisy. Let us check ourselves with such a tendency. Every time we judge others quickly without checking upon our own actions, we also become hypocrites in the eyes of God. ./Vulnerasti, 2023
