Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17
We ask you, brothers and sisters,
with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our assembling with him,
not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly,
or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement,
or by a letter allegedly from us
to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.
Let no one deceive you in any way.
To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them
in every good deed and word.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13
R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Alleluia
Hebrews 4:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 23:23-26
Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! «Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.”
Meditation
Beloved in the Lord, praised be Jesus Christ for all His blessings.
Once again today, Jesus addresses the Pharisees. He makes them look within themselves: what is in their hearts? What are their cups overflowing with? Jesus reminds us that true purity comes from within.
Indeed, the Lord reproaches the Pharisees: outwardly, they appear exemplary in their observance of the visible aspects of faith, traditions, and all the Jewish laws that accompany them. Yet inwardly, their hearts are filled with greed and self-indulgence. Jesus insists that true purity comes from within. If our hearts are filled with envy, jealousy, and criticism, if they are swollen with pride or roaring with anger, then even the finest clothes we wear to church on Sunday cannot truly make us pure.
Unfortunately, we often place greater emphasis on secondary matters: Sunday clothes, the tradition of attending Sunday Mass, offerings made with great display, the rosary hanging from the car mirror… Yet our hearts are not truly involved. Sometimes we are unable to forgive, to give, or to rejoice in the happiness of others. We lack patience, self-control, and empathy toward others, and we fail to be present when someone is going through a difficult time. We are also unable to stand up for justice when our own interests are at stake.
What we need to do is work first on our inner selves, without neglecting everything else. Some people, however, fall into the opposite extreme: they neglect outward religious practices and justify themselves by saying, “There is no need to go to church; contributions or involvement in a group do not matter.” Yet Jesus shows us that these things also have their importance, even though they are not the essence of our faith.
The question we can therefore ask ourselves today is this: What are our hearts overflowing with? What fills our cup? Is it justice, mercy, and faithfulness? Or, on the contrary, envy, resentment, pride, and indifference?
Let us pray: Lord, grant us the grace to purify our hearts first, so that our whole lives may radiate Your love.
Intercession: Lord, we pray for all those who hold responsibilities in the Church. Grant them the grace to take care of their hearts and, above all, to seek justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
Mother Mary, pray for us.
Spiritual Exercise: Today, let us perform one concrete act of justice or mercy toward someone close to us.
Praised be Jesus Christ.
Flora KAMTA
Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ
