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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians
in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,
as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater.
Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God
regarding your endurance and faith in all your persecutions
and the afflictions you endure.
This is evidence of the just judgment of God,
so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God
for which you are suffering.
We always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose
and every effort of faith,
that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him,
in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.
Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R./ The Lord takes delight in his people. or: 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: 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: 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: Alleluia.
Matthew 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.
"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."
Let’s be honest: There are days when Jesus seems to be giving us a hard time. Today’s Gospel is one of them. Compared to the sweet image of Jesus in some pictures, surrounded by a glow and shooting rays of supposed love with a beatific expression, we can say today he’s shooting rays, but not of love, but of fire.
The scribes, experts in the law and its interpretation, and the Pharisees, that group within the Jewish world that tried to take faithfulness to the law to the extreme and comply with every last letter, are the target of Jesus’ rays. From the start, he throws an insult at them without hesitation, without subtlety, without beating around the bush. Jesus doesn’t give them a more or less kind hint. He directly accuses them of being “hypocrites.” According to the dictionary, that means being a “liar, phony, deceitful, false, impostor.” The fundamental accusation is that they neither enter nor let others enter. With their obsession to comply with the rule down to the last detail, they forget the meaning, the heart, of the rule. They even manipulate the rule so that, by fulfilling it, they don’t serve God but their own hidden interests (even to take money from widows…).
We must be careful that this doesn’t happen to us. First, because Jesus will call us hypocrites loud and clear. And second, because we stay outside, we miss the most important part of his message: it’s about loving, building family, caring for those most in need.
Today we celebrate Saint Teresa of Jesus Jornet and Ibars. She is the founder of the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly. She was neither a scribe nor a Pharisee. She directly got down to work. She understood the most important part of the Gospel, which is not about counting the candles that should be on the altar for the celebration of Mass – something very, very secondary – but about opening our hands and hearts to the needs of our brothers and sisters.
God, you are clear-sighted
as you look into our hearts.
Do not allow us to seek security
in words and laws and observances,
but in giving in everyday life
a response of love to your challenging word.
Yes, let this word question us day after day
whether we are true
to the Gospel and to the person
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Introduction to the First Reading
The introductory thanksgiving of 2 Thes is very similar to the one of 1 Thes. It expresses the joy and the gratitude of Paul for the fast growth as a Christian community of the young Church of Thessalonica. Paul makes also an allusion to their suffering, which came either from the antagonism of the synagogue, which had been strong, or from their questions and discussions about the end of the world, or from both.
Introduction to Gospel Reading
When we hold on to the letter of the law without concern for its spirit, we easily become hypocrites, perhaps without realizing it fully; also when in the name of tradition, we sap it of all life, or worse, when we speak beautiful words but act differently. For example, when we speak of poverty, community, or dialogue, but live in grand style or fail to communicate from person to person. Such contradictions are not only the lot of Pharisees and scribes: they are often with us today.
–That the Church in its leaders and members may be a strong and faithful witness in our world for the truth, truthfulness, and authenticity, we pray:
–For priests and religious, that the poverty and love of Christ and people may become visible in them and make their teaching credible, we pray:
–For politicians and civic leaders, that their concern may not be honor and power but justice, dignity, and the unity of those whom they honestly serve, we pray:
Lord our God,
in this bread and this wine,
we celebrate the memory of your Son,
with his fidelity to his mission,
to you and to people.
Let this offering be
not a mere formality
but a call to commit ourselves
to his Gospel and his life,
for he is our Lord for ever.
Lord our God,
it is difficult for us to be always honest
with ourselves and with you,
for sincerity demands total commitment.
God, you have encouraged us
with the Word and the bread of your Son.
Do not allow us
to put our consciences to sleep or at ease,
with beautiful words or outward practices,
but make us live as we believe,
that with the whole of our lives
we may give glory to you,
our God, for ever and ever.
We are to be pitied as Christians if we think we can save ourselves by outward practices. What saves us, what makes us God's sons and daughters, is our love of God and neighbor, how we live our daily life in closeness to the Lord. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
