Readings: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13, Ps. 139:7-12, Matthew 23:27-32
“So, you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:28-29)
One of the most challenging things to do is to correct someone in a position of authority, especially one who holds significant authority in a religious context. Jesus would have tried to be quiet, but he said the truth just as it is. In another passage, Jesus says: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28).
When it comes to correcting our religious leaders, there is a tendency for us to quote passages such as “Touch not my anointed ones, and do my prophet no harm.” (1 Chronicles 16:22 & Psalm 105:15). However, the highest harm we do to God’s anointed ones is refusing to tell them the truth.
Again, there is always a tendency to ascribe the label of mental illness to anyone who speaks the truth or attempts to correct the ills of religious leaders. In 2 Kings 9:11, Jehu’s servants questioned if Elijah was “mad”. King Agrippa called St. Paul a madman. (Acts 26:24). Even Jesus was accused of being “out of his mind” by his family and contemporaries. (Cf. Mark 3:21). In John 10:20, they said, “He has a demon, and is mad; why listen to him?” This illustrates the difficulty preachers face in accepting the truth about themselves.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus likened the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, beautiful from the outside but full of dead men’s bones inside. Jesus also condemned the fact that the Scribes and Pharisees had a practice of adorning the tombs of the prophets (who were killed for speaking the truth) to exonerate themselves from the crimes of their ancestors.
Note that Jesus made these statements in a public gathering. It wasn’t a closed-door meeting. Can we say that Jesus “washed the dirty linens of the scribes and Pharisees outside”? I believe that from the age of 12, when Jesus stayed behind in the Temple talking to the scribes and Pharisees, until He began His public ministry officially, Jesus attempted to wash those linens quietly. At this point, He had no choice but to wash them in public. Is it not better that the linens are washed than they are not washed at all?
Were there saints among the scribes and Pharisees? Yes. We had the likes of Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night. In Mark 12:34, Jesus said to a scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” When people point out our errors, we must be willing to understand their perspective, look inward, and make the necessary changes rather than attacking or labelling them for speaking the truth.
In today’s first reading, St. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, stated: “For you remember our labour and toil, brethren; we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God… You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our behaviour to you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Can I, as a religious leader, say this to my flock? Am I truly a role model in terms of righteousness and holiness?
St. Monica, born in 331 A.D. in Tagaste (now Algeria), was the devoted mother of St. Augustine. She married Patricius, a Roman pagan, and together they endured a tumultuous life marked by their strong temperaments. Her perseverance paid off when both Patricius and his mother converted to Christianity a year before Patricius’s death. Monica and Patricius had three children: Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. While Navigius and Perpetua embraced religious lives, Augustine initially turned away, living a wayward life and joining the Manichaean sect.
Monica’s profound impact on Augustine is evident in his writings, particularly in his ‘Confessions.’ Under Bishop Ambrose’s guidance, she shifted her focus from giving material gifts to offering heartfelt prayers. After Augustine’s baptism in Milan, they intended to return to Africa to further the Christian mission. However, Monica fell ill and passed away in Civitavecchia. Augustine lovingly recorded her final words, reflecting her sense of fulfilment in life.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, help us to cleanse ourselves from within that our life may not preach a gospel different from that of our lips. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saint Monica. Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13, Ps. 139:7-12, Matthew 23:27-32)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu