GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 22ND AUGUST 2016
MONDAY OF THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY
(MEMORIAL OF THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY)
1ST READING: 2Thessalononians 1:1-5, 11-12
PSALM: Psalm 96:1-5
GOSPEL: Matthew 23:13-22
THEME: BE REAL
Hypocrites are actors on the stage of life who do not tell those who are watching them that they are acting. Hypocrites give to viewers an image of themselves that is anything but the truth of the real self. In sum, hypocrisy deceives.
In our Gospel, Jesus expresses his displeasure with the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. The text for today offers us three out of a series of seven “woes” addressed to them. In the first “woe”, for example, Jesus laments that by their way of life, these religious leaders had made themselves obstacles for those who desire to enter the kingdom of heaven – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them” (Mt. 23:13).
Our world is full of pretenders. Like chameleons, there are many people who change their “colours” to take advantage of situations. It is even more dangerous when these pretenders clothe themselves with the garments of religion and present themselves as men and women of God. Some of these “spiritual hypocrites” have deceived and robbed many unwary customers and destroyed many homes. As the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold”. Our Gospel text cautions us against these hypocrites and invites us to be discerning enough so as not to fall into their traps.
Secondly, the Gospel challenges us to work on our own hypocritical attitudes. Often we are like the proverbial ostrich that hides her head in the sand thinking that nobody will see it but forgetting that her whole body is out there in full public glare. The truth is that truth cannot be hidden for eternity. We either face the truth about ourselves now or face it in eternity.
It is time to be real. No hiding. No deception. Let us choose radical honesty in our dealings with one another.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, deliver me from the spirit of deception. Grant me the grace to love the truth always and be genuine in my dealings with others. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).