Jesus keeps the strongest language to condemn teachers of the Law and Pharisees.

You hypocrites, This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.

Lord, reveal to me my hidden faults and heal me.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12*

(...) Brothers and sisters,

We should give thanks to God, at all times, for you. It is fitting to do so, for your faith is growing, and your love for one another, increasing. We take pride in you, among the churches of God, because of your endurance, and your faith in the midst of persecution and sufferings. In this, the just judgment of God may be seen; for you must show yourselves worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are now suffering.

 

This is why we constantly pray for you; may our God make you worthy of his calling. May he, by his power, fulfill your good purposes, and your work, prompted by faith. In that way, the name of Jesus, our Lord, will be glorified through you, and you, through him, according to the loving plan of God and of Christ Jesus, the Lord.

 

Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5 Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 23:13-22

But woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You, yourselves, do not enter it, nor do you allow others to do so.

 

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows' property; and as a show, you pray long prayers! Therefore, you shall receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel by sea and land to make a single convert; yet, once he is converted, you make him twice as fit for hell as yourselves!

 

Woe to you, blind guides! You say: To swear by the temple is not binding; but, to swear by the gold of the temple is binding. Foolish men! Blind men! Which is of more worth: the gold in the temple, or the temple which makes the gold a sacred treasure? You say: To swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the offering on the altar is binding. How blind you are! Which is of more value: the offering on the altar, or the altar which makes the offering sacred?

 

Whoever swears by the altar, is swearing by the altar and by everything on it. Whoever swears by the temple, is swearing by the temple, and by God, who dwells in the temple. Whoever wears by heaven, is swearing by the throne of God, and by him, who is seated on it.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Freedom from hypocrisy."

Today's Gospel narrates Jesus' confrontation with the scribes and the Pharisees, with the sharp Greek word ouai, an interjection of denunciation that is commonly translated in English as "Woe!" We need to understand that this interjection is not merely expressing a dislike or antagonistic attitude against an enemy but rather it appropriately indicates an expression of grief. Jesus was expressing his grief against the stubbornness of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Jesus was trying to challenge them to a change of heart but their hearts were hardened.

 

They could not even see themselves since their hypocrisy had already blinded them. They pretended to be leading the people while not really knowing where to go because their eyes focused on themselves alone. Jesus tried to unmask their hypocrisy but they resisted. Unmasking a person's hypocrisy could be painful to the one being unmasked because it exposes the truth. The truth can be painful but it sets one free.

 

However, the scribes and the Pharisees preferred hypocrisy to freedom. Thus, we can now understand Jesus' use of interjection of grief. Do we want freedom from hypocrisy?