Readings: 2Thes 3:6-10,16-18; Psalm 128; Matt 23:27–32
In today’s first reading, St Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to imitate the example he set for them, including working for one’s own living. He says: ”For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you”. Paul encouraged them to live virtuously and so to us as well.
In today’s Gospelpassage, Jesus is very harsh against the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and vanity. In all the woes, Jesus calls them “frauds”. He is usually very gentle and forgiving with sinners. However, in today’s Gospel, Jesus does so, because the Scribes and Pharisees showed very little change to admitting their guilt and desire for true sorrow and conversion. He likens them to whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. He also calls them the children of those who murdered the prophets. In our way of speaking white-washing means covering up exterior space. Evidently, Jesus is blaming them because they observed the law very strictly, attending to less important parts of the law (besides adding many other petty regulations) but ignored justice, mercy and love in line with the Law and its spirit. The Gospel of today shows us how often we also can be inclined to cover up our failings, hiding our faults so as to appear righteous before others because we are afraid of being found out. Therefore, we ask the Lord to give us an open heart and live a virtuous life, before all and God. Blessings. Fr. Mussie