Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
August 23, 2021
Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 425
Reading I
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen.
For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
In every place your faith in God has gone forth,
so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us
what sort of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from the dead, Jesus,
who delivers us from the coming wrath.
Responsorial Psalm
- (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it.”
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Rose of Lima, virgin
Reflection: RITUALISM AGAINST COMPASSION
As Jesus moved among the people, time and again we come across confrontations with the Scribes and Pharisees. The Scribes and Pharisees were legalistic and arrogant, but they also had their good qualities. Their chief desire was to protect Judaism from being infiltrated from outside sources. Hence they defended Scripture and sought to keep religion pure. But they were so anxious to keep Judaism pure that they were not open to the possibility of doing new things. For instance, they could not think that God's salvation could come through a poor carpenter, who associated with sinners and unbelievers. The Scribes and Pharisees were saying one thing, but not doing the same. That kind of hypocrisy is what Jesus lashes at. They exalted themselves and did not see the need for conversion, change, repentance. Jesus came to reconcile us with God, but unless we repent, change will not take place. The thought of losing one soul moves Jesus to mourn, and not to condemn. It moves him to tears, and not to anger. The woes of Jesus are not words of condemnation, but groanings from the heart. He was hurt because the guardians of the law, rejected him and were not open to a new tomorrow. What would cause Jesus to pronounce 'woes' on us today? If we in this age have heaped up things for ourselves and give our material possessions first place, Jesus would also mourn for us. If in this information age, we have recourse to so many gadgets and to technology and do not share it with others, we could invite Jesus' feelings of sadness. If we speak of the church and do not fulfill our obligations about going to church and helping the poor and needy in our parish, once again Jesus could feel sorry for our way of living. If we live for ourselves alone and do not look around and reach out to the needy, poor, elderly and those who are sick and lonely, Jesus would feel pity for us.