St. Louis of France 

St. Joseph Calasanz, priest 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17

Brothers and sisters,

Let us speak about the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, and our gathering to meet him. Do not be easily unsettled. Do not be alarmed by what a prophet says, or by any report, or by some letter said to be ours, saying, the day of the Lord is at hand.

Do not let yourselves be deceived, in any way. Apostasy must come first, when the man of sin will appear. To this end he called you, through the gospel we preach, for he willed you, to share the glory of Christ Jesus, our Lord. because of that , brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions that we taught you, by word or by letter.

May Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has loved us, may God our Father, who, in his mercy, gives us everlasting comfort and true hope, strengthen you. may he encourage your hearts and make you steadfast in every good work and word.

 

Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13

The Lord comes to judge the earth.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 23:23-26

Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You do not for­get the mint, anise and cumin seeds when you pay the tenth of everything, but then you forget what is most fundamental in the Law: justice, mercy and faith. These you must practice, without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a mosquito, but swallow a camel.

 Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the cup with theft and violence, and then pronounce a blessing over them. Blind Pharisee! Purify the inside first, then the outside too will be purified.

 

Gospel Reflection：

An insecure person of authority habitually asks, “What hides behind someone’s good work?” Is it an election campaign? Is it a way of projecting good image? Sometimes, the question is not really about deceptive motives.

It is about fear of losing authority. The Jewish leaders look at Jesus and John’s deeds as threats to their hold of the community. God gave them that hold and power. They understand that power as exclusive to them for the purpose of unity.

Therefore, it would be impossible for God to redistribute such authority to others like Jesus and John. God would never cause disunity. God, however, is not sowing disunity through Jesus and John.

He is showing to the Jewish leaders how authority is genuinely exercised. Jesus’ authority does not come from another source against that of the Jewish leaders. His is just closer or one with the end source.