Tag: Pharisees

Memorial of Saint Monica

From the responsorial psalm: “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. The Lord comes to judge the earth.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 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.”

Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their handling of Mosaic law, the way they overemphasize unimportant aspects of it while neglecting more important matters. Judgment, mercy, and fidelity have greater weight than tithing. Inner purity and repentance matter; external appearances do not. And out of love, Jesus rebukes them for their misguided words and actions. Turning to God and living in his truth allows us to let go of the blindness of seeking external validation before others. Christ then has room to fill that space in a way that Paul describes in the first reading: “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.”

God, help strengthen in me the desire for the greater things that Christ calls me to: right judgment, mercy, fidelity, repentance, hope, goodness, and purity. Show me through the opportunities you place before me how to put aside self-regard and instead put to use love and mercy in what I say and do. You loved me first, Lord, and heaven and earth are yours. “The Lord comes,” the psalmist says, “to judge the earth.” Let me leave judgment to you, Lord, so I am free to love you and do as you will. Saint Monica, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.” | Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 23:13-22)

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.”

What Jesus says to the crowds and to his disciples, he says to everybody. Through their authority, the scribes and Pharisees have prevented people from entering the kingdom of heaven. In putting up obstacles, they open up paths to other spiritual realities and fail to find God’s presence. Where God is present, that is the path to follow, the way to the kingdom, whether here or in heaven. “You blind ones,” Jesus says to the scribes and Pharisees, “which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?” Paul’s letter describes an attitude of love and thanksgiving, which opens the doors to the kingdom of heaven. What opportunities does God present to us today to open the doors to his kingdom?

God, help make me worthy of your calling to “bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith.” There are times when it is hard to get past the barriers that present themselves during the day, whether self-imposed or beyond my control. I want to gain admittance to your kingdom, here on earth and in the life of the world to come. Help me desire this more and more, Lord, for the sake of your glory. I have nothing to give you that you haven’t given me first, the giver of all good gifts. With my effort of faith, take from me all I do have, and in your mercy break it and bless it as I seek to enter your kingdom.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“To call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” | Saturday after Ash Wednesday

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 5:27-32)

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

After Jesus calls him, Matthew immediately leaves his customs post and follows him. Matthew then gives a large banquet at his house, where many tax collectors gather at table with Jesus and Matthew. The criticism of the Pharisees is aimed at sinners and tax collectors. While Jesus, the divine physician, tells the Pharisees that he has come for the sick, the Pharisees fail to recognize that he includes them among the sick who need a physician. Little is different today when judgment of others comes into play. It’s easy to point out the faults of others, but only with fearless examination do our own deficiencies surface.

God, just as Jesus your Son called Levi to follow him, you call me also to follow you. If all I can remember throughout the day is the voice of Jesus saying “Follow me,” I have the hope of walking in your truth and trusting in your mercy. On paper, this is all too easy. I know I will forget you time after time in the events of the day and the people you place before me. Give me the grace to hear your voice today when I begin to turn away. I know you always hear me, just as you reveal to Isaiah in the first reading: “Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Why does this generation seek a sign?” | Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 8:11-13)

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

The Pharisees approach Jesus and ask for a sign from heaven to prove his authority, and Jesus sighs over their lack of faith despite their witnessing his previous miracles and teachings. Aware that they are testing him, Jesus puts the question to the Pharisees why this generation seeks a sign. What matters, Jesus suggests by asking this, is faith and trust in him rather than seeking signs as the sole basis for belief. 

God, help me trust in your presence without the need for signs. Even more, help me remember you in the midst of the day, when communication with you becomes sparse. I imagine Jesus turning back to the Pharisees to answer them as he go into the boat. He questions them not out of annoyance but of love for them. He gave a deep sigh when he asks why they seek a sign. Strengthen my confidence in you, Lord, in the hidden works you perform each day and in the ones I overlook that are right before my eyes.

From the responsorial psalm: “You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“From within . . . come evil thoughts.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:14-23)

Jesus said to the disciples: “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

Jesus tells the crowd and later explains to the disciples: “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” The list of evils that plagued people of his time are no less a threat to souls today, and external practices fail to remedy the cause. From within, from the heart, sin defiles; from within, Jesus heals. He recognizes the root cause and invites us to repentance, reconciling us to the Father. By naming evils, he calls us near for the salvation of souls, to preserve us for eternal life through the power of his grace.

God, help me reflect on my inclination toward sin and my need for redemption. Time after time, Jesus associated himself with sinners, inviting them to repent and follow him. The list of evils Jesus names could go on and on. As much an identification of human illnesses, listing sin by name demonstrates the endless permutations of sin that Christ can heal as the Divine Physician. Help me recognize that there is no sin that Christ is not aware of, that there is no sin that he cannot eradicate through his passion, death, and resurrection. God, help me turn to you with a contrite heart in the hope of eternal life; help me trust in your mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “Commit to the LORD your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You have set aside the commandment of God.” | Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:1-13)

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, ‘Any support you might have had from me is qorban’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.”

The Pharisees criticize some of the disciples as they eat with unwashed hands. Jesus responds to their criticism, confronting their adherence to human traditions over God’s commandments. Jesus quotes Isaiah, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” Jesus calls out the Pharisees for dedicating their possessions to the temple instead of honoring their parents, demonstrating that they follow human traditions over God’s commandments. “You nullify the word of God,” Jesus tells them. “And you do many such things.”

God, help me understand that in confronting the Pharisees, Jesus provides a model for how to prioritize your commandments over human tradition, a good in itself that has an appropriate place. “You disregard God’s commandment,” Jesus says, “but cling to human tradition.” Give me sincerity of heart and the grace to put into practice the Ten Commandments and your Son’s two great commandments: to love you, God, with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.

From the responsorial psalm: “My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” Saint Paul Miki and companions, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 17:26-37)

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the disciples about the Second Coming and Final Judgment. He relates examples from the Old Testament as a way to help them understand the coming of the Son of Man. Going about their ordinary activities, the people in Noah’s time were caught off guard at the coming destruction as were the people of Sodom at the time of Lot when his wife looked back back to see “fire and brimstone” and turned to a pillar of salt. Saints and theologians have explained Jesus’ disturbing reference to vultures gathering around the body in different ways. Is it enough to recognize that the body will be raised up at the Second Coming for eternal condemnation or eternal life with the Body of Christ?

Father in heaven, help me be aware always of the suddenness of the coming of your Son. Whether to prepare for the ultimate judgment or the end of my life, help me be ready for Christ’s return. Give me the grace to see in the created world beyond the limitations of created things the author who created all. From the Book of Wisdom, help me recall you when I get lost in the ordinariness of a day: “All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan.” Give me the courage to die to the things of this world and, for the sake of the life of the world to come, not look back.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” Saint Elizabeth, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

“The Kingdom of God is among you.” | Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 17:20-25)

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that no one will be able to announce when the Kingdom of God comes and at the same time that “the Kingdom of God is among you.” He says to the disciples: “For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” The coming of the kingdom is already here and is still to come; it is both. Because Jesus perfectly fulfilled the will of the Father in his passion, death, and resurrection, he is one with him in being beyond space and time.

Father in heaven, you are present now, always have been, and always will be—present eternally. You reign over heaven and earth now and in the Second Coming in the return of Christ. By allowing your kingdom to come in my words and actions, help me today prepare for eternal life. Jesus said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.” Give me the grace, Lord, to long for your Son in my desires and in choices I make. Help me see him today and, having prepared for his return, when he comes again.

From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord: whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” Your word is forever, Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“But God knows your hearts.” | Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 16:9-15)

Jesus said to his disciples: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Jesus continues in today’s Gospel where yesterday’s left off. Addressing the disciples as the Pharisees overhear, he talks about the value of dishonest wealth compared with the true wealth of dependence on God. According to the New American Bible Revised Edition, mammon is “the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning ‘that in which one trusts.'” To the Pharisees, as Luke tells us, that meant love of money. Jesus presents this to those who hear him in a paradoxical way in what appears to be a logical either-or fallacy: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” A closer look reveals no fallacy here but truth: “but God knows your hearts,” Jesus says, “for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.” What is left, then, but to serve God?

Father in heaven, help me embrace your will. Often far from embracing it and accomplishing it, your will for me in any given day seems to escape me altogether. That is why Jesus says, “If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?” You show mercy where mercy is most needed, to the one who can’t be trusted with true wealth. Give me the wisdom to discern what is true and the grace to know your will and to serve you.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.” Saint Martin of Tours, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

“Make people come in that my home may be filled.” | Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:15-24)

Jesus said: “Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled.'”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable while dining at the house of a Pharisee. He responds to a guest’s comment about the blessedness of those who will eat in the kingdom of God. In the parable, Jesus tells how people respond differently to a man’s invitation to others to dine at his banquet. Each one is preoccupied with worldly distractions and excuse themselves from the invitation. So the man sends out his servant to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. The man in the parable represents God, and the great banquet symbolizes the kingdom of God. But the ones first invited excuse themselves from attending. What reason in the world is there to reject the blessings God gives to those he invites to his kingdom?

Father in heaven, help me understand the meaning of today’s Gospel, especially the last words of the man in the parable: “For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.” How clear is your Son in this, the Eucharistic invitation to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood.” Give me the grace, Lord, to say yes to your invitation to the true food and true drink of the Eucharist. Whenever I have the ability to attend Mass during the week, let me hear and respond to your invitation to dine in the Kingdom of God.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.” Lord, let me trust in your mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.