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“St. Augustine in His Cell”
by Sandro Botticelli, 1490-94 |
Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18
We instruct you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother
who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked,
so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that
if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
This greeting is in my own hand, Paul’s.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
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Commentary on 2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18
St. Paul concludes his second letter to the church at Thessalonica with instructions on how to deal with members of their community who were “disorderly.” It is likely that this behavior was surfacing because of the forged letter that had surfaced announcing that the Apocalypse was at hand. Some of the individuals who believed this may have stopped working and became a drain on the resources of the church. St. Paul tells the membership to shun these individuals, to shame them into returning to St. Paul’s own teaching. (We note he concludes his letter assuring the Thessalonian Christians that it is from him and written in his own hand.)
CCC: 2 Thes 3:1-13 1577; 2 Thes 3:9 1794; 2 Thes 3:16 385, 463, 2641
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Psalm 128:1-2, 4-5
R. (1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the Lord,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 128:1-2, 4-5
Psalm 128 is a song of thanksgiving. It begins with the typical blessings for following and having faith in the Lord. The faithful shall see the work of their hands prosper, a result of performing all deeds for the greater glory of God.
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Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32
Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
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Commentary on Mt 23:27-32
This passage concludes St. Matthew’s treatment of the “Seven Woes” with the final two exhortations against the scribes and Pharisees. In the "sixth woe," Jesus derides the Hebrew leadership for false piety. While their acts of worship would make them seem upright and faith-filled, their interior agendas are sinful. Their professed faith is not echoed with actions outside the temple– especially with charity.
The “seventh woe” attacks the pride of these leaders who engage in pompous piety. “In spite of honoring the slain dead by building their tombs and adorning their memorials, and claiming that they would not have joined in their ancestors' crimes if they had lived in their days, the scribes and Pharisees are true children of their ancestors and are defiantly ordered by Jesus to fill up what those ancestors measured out. This order reflects the Jewish notion that there was an allotted measure of suffering that had to be completed before God's final judgment would take place.” [4] Theologically, verses 29-32 provide strong support of Maccabean purgatory.
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Reflection:
The Gospel causes us to examine the relationship of our external image with our internal core. In Jesus’ ongoing criticism of the scribes and Pharisees he chides them for performing acts of worship for the sake of appearance rather than out of true devotion to the Lord. This false piety is pretended so that others in their community will support their image of righteousness and give them credibility in the assembly of the faithful. It is their base of power and the roots of their authority.
When Jesus attacks this characteristic, he becomes a real threat to the power structure of the region which, while having its administrative authority usurped by the Roman occupiers, still wields great influence. Because it purports to have significant control over the local populations, it can pressure the official government to act (as we see when Jesus is later arrested).
We are forced to consider this question – Why does Jesus attack those who lead the Jewish people? Why does he not instead go after the Romans who are pagan in their beliefs and without question, oppressive to the people? It is because his kingdom is not of this world. He does not concern himself with the Romans because they claim authority in the physical realm while the scribes and Pharisees claim to have authority over the gates to God’s kingdom. That kingdom is the one over which Jesus is Lord.
This is an important distinction for us because it helps us set our own priorities. What needs to be most important to us in our lives of faith is that part of us which is destined to live eternally with our Father in Heaven, our soul. We must be constantly safeguarding that element of our being and work to keep it as free of sin as possible. We are called to hold faith closely to ourselves building it up through prayer, the Word, and sacramental graces.
Does this mean that we need not concern ourselves with the physical world around us? Absolutely not! Our internal faith, if it is genuine, will be reflected in all of our actions. St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians makes this point precisely. Our preoccupation with things of the next life may not limit us from proclaiming God’s mercy through our works in this one. What we truly believe must color everything we do. What the Lord objected to in the scribes and Pharisees was that their actions, that seemed pious while in public worship, were not supported by their actions outside that arena. Our true faith will be expressed in all facets of our lives.
Today our prayer is this; that our interior spiritual strength and faith in Jesus will continue to increase and it will shine out, like the light of a flame passes through clear glass, bringing the warmth of Christ to the world.
Pax
[1] The picture is “St. Augustine in His Cell” by Sandro Botticelli, 1490-94.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on Matthew 23:25-26.
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