Tuesday, August 25, 2026

 

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)

The man said he was an atheist.  He added his reason.  He said that religion has been at the center of so many wars that he could no longer believe in God.  Of course, he was overlooking the overwhelming amount of assistance that faith has provided people over the ages.  He also might have thought for a moment about the destruction wrought by Communists and Nazis in recent times.  Nonetheless, Jesus in today’s gospel makes a similar criticism of religious opportunists.

 Jesus is disturbed by people who use religion to benefit themselves.  Evidently a considerable number of Pharisees and scribes distort Judaism to this effect.  Rather than emphasize the prophets’ call to compassion, they exploit the Law’s precepts for their own benefit.  Their exploitation especially hurts the poor. 

 We have a double duty in regard to those who profit by religion.  We should resist their solicitations by standing firm with Jesus, the prophet.  He shows little patience with those who burden others for their own benefit.   We also have to avoid a harsh criticism of religion.  People have misused it over the centuries for their material benefit.  But even events like the Crusades must be analyzed in their historical context and include the intentions of those involved.  Much more characteristic of religious belief have been institutions dispensing charity and orienting people to the true God.

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

 

Memorial of Saint Monica, holy woman

(II Thessalonians 3:1-3a.14-17; Matthew 23:23-26)

As a young man, Saint Augustine achieved a modicum of success as a rhetorician.  He headed an academy where he drew several students.  His reputation was growing, but that fact did not pacify his mother, Saint Monica.  More than anything else, Monica wanted her son to practice the Catholic faith.  It seems that she saw material success as the outside of the cup to which Jesus alludes in today’s gospel reading.

Jesus frequently suggests that appearances are not to be judged so much as reality.  The tax collector praying for forgiveness in the Temple is perhaps the best example.  His prayer and not the Pharisee’s who reminds God of his own virtue is heard.  In today’s gospel Jesus condemns the Pharisees’ attention to miniscule points of the Law while ignoring its principal teachings of mercy and fidelity.

Saint Monica ceaselessly petitioned God that her son become a Christian. She also appealed to her son continually that he consider joining Christ.  She knew that Christ was the way to true happiness in eternal life.  To her -- may God grant it so for us as well -- fame, fortune, and fun cannot compete in comparison.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Memorial of Saint Monica

(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)

The man said he was an atheist.  He added his reason.  He said that religion has been at the center of so many wars that he could no longer believe in God.  Of course, he was overlooking the overwhelming amount of physical assistance that faith-filled people have provided.  He also might have thought for a moment about the destruction wrought by godless Communists and Nazis.  Yet Jesus in today’s gospel makes a similar criticism of religious opportunists.

Jesus is disturbed by people who use religion to benefit themselves.  Evidently a considerable number of Pharisees and scribes (i.e., teachers of the Law) distort Judaism in this way.  Rather than emphasize the prophets’ call to compassion, they exploit the Law’s rules for their own benefit.  Their exploitation especially targets the poor. 

We have a double duty in regard to those who profit by religion.  We should resist them by standing firm with Jesus, the poor man and the pacifist.  He shows little patience with those who would burden others for their own benefit.   We also have to avoid an excessively harsh criticism of religion.  People have used it over the centuries to cause trouble.  But even events like the Crusades have to be analyzed in their historical contexts.  Much more characteristic of religious belief have been institutions dispensing charity to those in need. 

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)

Matthew begins his description of the public ministry of Jesus with the Sermon on the Mount.  In it Jesus utters the beatitudes, a word usually translated as blessed but may be rendered as happy.  Now at the end of his ministry in Matthew Jesus delivers another sermon.  This time, however, he announces not blessings but woes, seven of them as a matter of fact.  The two of today’s gospel are found in the middle.

Jesus condemns the Pharisees for being fastidious about small things and permissive about large matters.  He says they pay their tithes not only on the crops of grain but on the smallest herb in their garden.  Meanwhile they overlook the need for justice and mercy.  They are like the bankers on Wall Street who appear to be upstanding men but who created a financial crisis eight years ago that drove many people bankrupt.  Then Jesus uses the analogy of a cup that is clean on the outside but putrid on the inside to further denounce the Pharisees.  He is accusing them of unclean hearts even as they dress as righteous men.

Not all the Pharisees were hypocrites.  Many, in fact, like the apostle Paul legitimately strove for goodness.  But as religious movements become puritanical, hypocrisy finds substance to feed upon.  We must take care that it does not happen to us.  A daily examination of conscience and constant conversation with the Lord should keep us free of this contamination.

Homilette for Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(I Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26)

Matthew’s gospel shows Jesus beginning his first public discourse with eight beatitudes and his last discourse, recorded in the reading today, with seven woes. The beatitudes, of course, indicate the rewards Jesus’ followers will receive, and the woes, the punishments his enemies will undergo. There are also contrasts among the beatitudes and the woes. Today’s gospel passage relates the fourth and fifth woes which are opposed to the fourth and sixth beatitudes.

Where Jesus considers those hungering and thirsting for righteousness “happy” or “blessed,” he sees those who neglect “judgment and mercy and fidelity” as destined for destruction. The latter are the kind of people who attend to the minutia of the law – “pay(ing) tithes of mint and dill and cumin” -- without keeping its spirit on fairness and compassion.

While the scribes and Pharisees present a pleasing façade – “the outside of cup and dish” -- what lies behind the scene – their “inside” -- is wicked. Jesus’ disciples, on the other hand, strive to be “pure of heart” which means to desire inwardly what is worthy of God. It is a life-long struggle, to be sure, but one that promises honest relationships in this world and the beatific vision in eternity.

Homilette for Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

(Matthew 23:23-26)

Matthew’s gospel shows Jesus beginning his first public discourse with eight beatitudes and his last discourse with seven woes. The beatitudes, of course, indicate the rewards Jesus’ followers will receive and the woes, the punishments his enemies will undergo. There are also contrasts among the beatitudes and the woes. Today’s gospel passage relates the fourth and fifth woes which we can contrast to the fourth and sixth beatitudes.

Where Jesus considered those who hunger and thirst for righteousness “happy” or “blessed,” he now sees those who neglect judgment and mercy and fidelity as deserving “woe.” The latter are the kind of people who attend to the letter of the law or, as he puts it, “tithes on mint and dill and cumin” but avoid keeping its spirit which is that they become fair and compassionate. A number of years ago a church finance officer, whose co-workers considered him the model of trustworthiness, embezzled hundred of thousands of dollars from the diocese he worked for. This thief exemplifies the hypocrisy that Jesus criticizes here.

While the scribes and Pharisee keep up a good façade – “the outside of cup and dish,” what lies behind the scene – “the inside” -- is sheer wickedness. As much as this is the case, the perpetrators merit Jesus’ woe. His disciples, on the other hand, strive to be “pure of heart” which means to desire inwardly what is worthy of God, especially in sexual matters. It is a life-long struggle, to be sure, but worth the effort. It promises not only honest, caring relationships on earth life but the beatific vision in eternity.