20250827 INCONSISTENCY
27 August 2025, Wednesday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 |
We slaved night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you
Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, that our treatment of you, since you became believers, has been impeccably right and fair. You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom. Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 138(139):7-12 |
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
O where can I go from your spirit,
or where can I flee from your face?
If I climb the heavens, you are there.
If I lie in the grave, you are there.
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell at the sea’s furthest end,
even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
If I say: ‘Let the darkness hide me
and the light around me be night,’
even darkness is not dark for you
and the night is as clear as the day.
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Alleluia!
Or: | 1Jn2:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Whenever anyone obeys what Christ has said,
God’s love comes to perfection in him.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 23:27-32 |
You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets
Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day.” So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.’
INCONSISTENCY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 THES 2:9-13; PS 139:7-12; MT 23:27-32]
In the Gospel, Jesus reprimanded the religious leaders for their lack of consistency in observing the law. This is what the Lord meant when He called them hypocrites. There is a difference between being a hypocrite and being a sinner. A sinner is one who desires to follow the laws of God but, in weakness, falls into sin; whereas a hypocrite pretends to keep the laws of God but, in truth, looks for ways and excuses to disobey or circumvent them. Thus, the sin of the Pharisees is even more deceitful and destructive than that of the sinner. At least the sinner admits he is a sinner, and therefore there is hope for salvation. But a hypocrite believes he is holy and good when, in fact, he has no intention of serving God or obeying His laws. He is concerned only with himself–his interests, his glory, and his authority. A hypocrite deceives himself to the point that he can no longer recognize his own self-deception, imagining himself to be what he is not.
One of these inconsistencies Jesus pointed out was their desire to look good before others. They did things to impress people, praying long prayers and displaying outward signs of holiness and piety–such as bowed heads and sombre faces when fasting. They were meticulous about their rituals, ensuring ritual purity when eating so that they would appear clean enough to offer worship in the Temple. Yet in their hearts, they were full of selfishness, pride, and greed. They made themselves look good only to gain people’s praise and confidence. They were scrupulous about tithing, but failed to practice justice in their treatment of others. Hence, Jesus said, “You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way, you appear to people on the outside as good and honest, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
There are many of us too who act in this manner as well. We are active in church ministry, even serving as leaders, yet borrow money and make empty promises to repay it in order to sustain a lavish lifestyle. Some even have the audacity to pilfer money from the collection – funds offered to God for mission work and the upkeep of the church. Others live in serious sin, yet have no qualms about serving as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Still others use the church as a means to gain business or clients. Sadly, many young people lose faith in the Church, not because their parents are inactive, but because they see them behave like devout Catholics in church while being abusive and irresponsible at home. When we act in such ways, we are no different from the religious leaders whom Jesus called “whitewashed tombs.”
Secondly, Jesus reprimanded the religious leaders for covering up their crimes against the prophets of God. The truth was that they had rejected God’s messengers one after another, repeating the history of Israel when both kings and people refused to listen to the prophets sent to them–whether it was Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Amos, or Isaiah. Instead, they chose to follow their own designs, introducing the worship of foreign gods into the country and permitting injustice against the poor, the widows, and the innocent at the hands of the rich and powerful. Then, after the prophets had suffered and died, and the people experienced the consequences of their stubbornness, they built memorials in their honour. This is why the Lord accused them of covering up their guilt in killing God’s messengers: “You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, ‘We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day.’ So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets!” This tragic pattern was repeated in the time of Jesus Himself, when He was put to death, and soon after, His apostles and disciples were persecuted as well.
We might not kill God’s prophets today, but we often reject them in other ways. God’s messengers come not just in the form of preachers that speak the truth about what is right or wrong, but also through those around us. Yet, we sometimes attack them simply because their message is not what we want to hear or because it challenges our lifestyle. At times, this even happens within the Church, among those serving in the same ministry. Out of jealousy, envy, or fear that our own interests may be threatened by changes in policy, structure, or programs, we reject their proposals. Instead of discerning objectively whether their message is truly from the Lord–rooted in Holy Scripture and aimed at the greater good of the Church–we allow worldly motives to cloud our judgment. In doing so, we risk watering down the gospel to make it suit human desires rather than remaining faithful to God’s Word.
This is so unlike the Christians in Thessalonica, whom Paul commended, saying: “Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.” They did not try to adapt God’s Word to fit their pagan culture. On the contrary, they sought to infuse the pagan culture with the Gospel values. And this is what we must do – not be intimidated by the world, or even by fellow Catholics when it comes to being faithful to the Scriptures, especially on values explicitly taught, such as marriage, gender, justice, and charity.
Today, we are called to learn from St Paul in the first reading, who exemplified what it means to live a life of consistency. He was careful not to place any obstacles in the way of the Gospel or give the impression that he profited from his missionary work. For this reason, he refused to take donations from people, lest he become indebted to the wealthy or beholden to their influence. As he said: “Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you.” In this way, he did not allow the Gospel to be chained by any man. Indeed, when the Church is heavily dependent on donations for her operations and upkeep, bishops and priests sometimes fall prey to the influence of the rich and powerful who donate to the church for selfish reasons. When bishops and priests are too closely identified with worldly powers or benefactors, they risk putting themselves at their beck and call, and being silenced from speaking the truth or act with integrity for fear of offending them.
Secondly, St Paul showed himself to be a man of justice and impartiality because he regarded everyone as his children. He reminded them: “You are witnesses, and so is God, that our treatment of you, since you became believers, has been impeccably right and fair. You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.” Out of genuine love, Paul corrected his fellow Christians with patience and tenderness, always encouraging and strengthening those who struggled in faith. His concern was not for himself but that they might live lives worthy of God’s children. More than words, his integrity and consistency of life made him a true model of what Christ expects of His teachers, prophets, and collaborators.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment