Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
August 25, 2021
Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 427
Reading I
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.
Responsorial Psalm
- (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Louis of France
Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest
Reflection: LOVE AGAINST RITUALISM
What we see in this section of the gospel of Mathew is strong denunciation from Jesus about the behaviour of the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus criticizes their way of life and the kind of leadership they have exhibited. The Scribes and Pharisees act godly by their preaching but are not the same in their dealings. They were precise and stringent about the Mosaic laws, but not about the gospel teachings. Jesus chastised the religious leaders for having double standards and for demanding from others what they would not do. They professed admiration for the prophets by building their tombs, but at the same time opposed their message. They also lacked openness to what Jesus was trying to do and were not willing to change their way of living. They seemed to be hypocritical and insincere. Jesus denounces them and doesn't mince words in the phrases he uses for them and describe their way of going about. They seemed to give importance to external ritualism and were outwardly righteous. The final woe castigates their leaders as those who violently rejected God's messengers. Jesus is attempting to open the eyes of these blind guides, confronting them with the truth of their behavior. They have failed to accept his word as truth. Jesus did follow the rules and regulations of his day. He is not against following them, nor does he want to abolish them. But he wants to fulfill them with unconditional love. He did it by bringing about God's intended meaning in what is written in the law. Love is the essence of every religion and what counts is the attitude, the interiority, the spontaneity and sincerity. On reading this text we are invited to turn the mirror into ourselves and notice the difference between the appearances and the real me. We may have put on masks in order to impress others. How sincere are we with our words and deeds? If there is genuineness within us our words and deeds will be meaningful.