Reading 1 1 Thes 2:9-13

You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.

And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.

Responsorial Psalm PS 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

R. (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Alleluia 1 Jn 2:5

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 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!”

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 23
27.	Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness.	ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι παρομοιαζετε ταφοις κεκονιαμενοις οιτινες εξωθεν μεν φαινονται ωραιοι εσωθεν δε γεμουσιν οστεων νεκρων και πασης ακαθαρσιας	ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι παρομοιαζετε ταφοις κεκονιαμενοις οιτινες εξωθεν μεν φαινονται ωραιοι εσωθεν δε γεμουσιν οστεων νεκρων και πασης ακαθαρσιας
28.	So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.	ουτως και υμεις εξωθεν μεν φαινεσθε τοις ανθρωποις δικαιοι εσωθεν δε μεστοι εστε υποκρισεως και ανομιας	ουτως και υμεις εξωθεν μεν φαινεσθε τοις ανθρωποις δικαιοι εσωθεν δε μεστοι εστε υποκρισεως και ανομιας
29.	Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just,	ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι οικοδομειτε τους ταφους των προφητων και κοσμειτε τα μνημεια των δικαιων	ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι οικοδομειτε τους ταφους των προφητων και κοσμειτε τα μνημεια των δικαιων
30.	And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.	και λεγετε ει ημεν εν ταις ημεραις των πατερων ημων ουκ αν ημεν κοινωνοι αυτων εν τω αιματι των προφητων	και λεγετε ει ημεν εν ταις ημεραις των πατερων ημων ουκ αν ημεν κοινωνοι αυτων εν τω αιματι των προφητων
31.	Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.	ωστε μαρτυρειτε εαυτοις οτι υιοι εστε των φονευσαντων τους προφητας	ωστε μαρτυρειτε εαυτοις οτι υιοι εστε των φονευσαντων τους προφητας
32.	Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.	και υμεις πληρωσατε το μετρον των πατερων υμων	και υμεις πληρωσατε το μετρον των πατερων υμων

Ignore the previous.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 23
27.	Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness.	Væ vobis scribæ et pharisæi hypocritæ, quia similes estis sepulchris dealbatis, quæ a foris parent hominibus speciosa, intus vero pleni sunt ossibus mortuorum, et omni spurcitia !	ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι παρομοιαζετε ταφοις κεκονιαμενοις οιτινες εξωθεν μεν φαινονται ωραιοι εσωθεν δε γεμουσιν οστεων νεκρων και πασης ακαθαρσιας
28.	So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.	Sic et vos a foris quidem paretis hominibus justi : intus autem pleni estis hypocrisi et iniquitate.	ουτως και υμεις εξωθεν μεν φαινεσθε τοις ανθρωποις δικαιοι εσωθεν δε μεστοι εστε υποκρισεως και ανομιας
29.	Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just,	Væ vobis scribæ et pharisæi hypocritæ, qui ædificatis sepulchra prophetarum, et ornatis monumenta justorum,	ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι οικοδομειτε τους ταφους των προφητων και κοσμειτε τα μνημεια των δικαιων
30.	And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.	et dicitis : Si fuissemus in diebus patrum nostrorum, non essemus socii eorum in sanguine prophetarum !	και λεγετε ει ημεν εν ταις ημεραις των πατερων ημων ουκ αν ημεν κοινωνοι αυτων εν τω αιματι των προφητων
31.	Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.	itaque testimonio estis vobismetipsis, quia filii estis eorum, qui prophetas occiderunt.	ωστε μαρτυρειτε εαυτοις οτι υιοι εστε των φονευσαντων τους προφητας
32.	Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.	Et vos implete mensuram patrum vestrorum.	και υμεις πληρωσατε το μετρον των πατερων υμων

27. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

ORIGEN; As above they are said to be full of extortion and excess, so here they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, and are likened to dead men's bones, and all uncleanness.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Justly are the bodies of the righteous said to be temples, because in the body of the righteous the soul has dominion, as God in His temple; or because God Him self dwells in righteous bodies. But the bodies of sinners are called sepulchers of the dead, because the sinner's soul is dead in his body; for that cannot be deemed to be alive, which does no spiritual or living act.

JEROME; Sepulchers are whitened with lime without, and decorated with marble painted in gold and various colors, but within are full of dead men's bones. Thus crooked teachers who teach one thing and do another, affect purity in their dress, and humility in their speech, but within are full of all uncleanness, covetousness, and lust.

ORIGEN; For all feigned righteousness is dead, forasmuch as it is not done for God's sake; yes, rather it is no righteousness at all, any more than a dead man is a man, or an actor who represents any character is the man whom he represents. There is therefore within them so much of bones and uncleanness as are the good things that they wickedly pretend to. And they seem righteous outwardly, not in the eyes of such as the Scripture calls Gods, but of such only as die like men.

GREG. But before their strict Judge they cannot have the plea of ignorance, for by assuming in the eyes of men every form of sanctity, they witness against themselves that they are not ignorant how to live well.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. But say, hypocrite, if it be good to be wicked, why do you not desire to seem that which you desire to be? For what it is shameful to seem, that it is more shameful to be; and what to seem is fair, that it is fairer to be. Either therefore be what you seem, or seem what you are.

29. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,
30. And say, If we had been in the days of Our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31. Wherefore you be witnesses to yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets.

JEROME; By a most subtle syllogism He proves them to be the sons of murderers, while to gain good character and reputation with the people, they build the sepulchers of the Prophets whom their fathers put to death.

ORIGEN; Without just cause He seems to utter denunciations against those who build the sepulchers of the Prophets; for so far what they did was praiseworthy; how then do they deserve this woe?

CHRYS. He does not blame them for building the sepulchers, but discovers the design with which they built them; which was not to honor the slain, but to erect to themselves a triumphal monument of the murder, as fearing that in process of time the memory of this their audacious wickedness should perish.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, they said within themselves, If we do good to the poor not many see it, and then but for a moment; were it not better to raise buildings which all may see, not only now, but in all time to come? O foolish man, what boots this posthumous memory, if, where you are, you are tortured, and where you are not there you are praised? While He corrects the Jews, He instructs the Christians; for had these things been spoken to the former only, they would have been spoken, but not written; but now they were spoken on their account, and written on ours. When one, besides other good deeds, raises sacred buildings, it is an addition to his good works; but if without any other good works, it is a passion for worldly renown.

The martyrs joy not to be honored with money which has caused the poor to weep. The Jews, moreover, have ever been adorers of saints of former times, and condemners, yes persecutors, of the living. Because they could not endure the reproaches of their own Prophets, they Persecuted and killed them; but afterwards the succeeding generation perceived the error of their fathers, and thus in grief at the death of innocent Prophets, they built up monuments of them. But they themselves in like manner persecuted and put to death the Prophets of their own time, when they rebuked them for their sins. This is what is meant, And you say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets.

JEROME; Though they speak not this in words, they proclaim it by their actions, in ambitious and magnificent structures to their memory.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. What they thought in their hearts, that they spoke by their deeds. Christ lays bare here the natural habit of all wicked men; each readily apprehends the other's fault, but none his own; for in another's case each man has an unprejudiced heart, but in his own case it is distorted. Therefore in the cause of others we can all easily be righteous judges. He only is the truly righteous and wise who is able to judge himself. It follows, Wherefore you be witnesses to yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the Prophets.

CHRYS. What kind of accusation is this, to call one the son of a murderer, who ho partakes not in his father's disposition? Clearly there is no guilt in being so; wherefore this must be said in proof of their resemblance in wickedness.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. The character of the parents is a witness to the sons; if the father be good and the mother bad, or the reverse, the children may follow sometimes one, sometimes the other. But when both are the same, it very rarely happens that bad sons spring of good parents, or the reverse, though it be so sometimes. This is as a man is sometimes born out of the rule of nature, having six fingers or no eyes.

ORIGEN; And in the prophetic writings, the historical sense is the body, the spiritual meaning is the soul; the sepulchers are the letter and books themselves of Scripture. They then who attend only to the historical meaning, honor the bodies of the Prophets, and set in the letter as in a sepulcher; and are called Pharisees, i.e. 'cut off,' as it were cutting off the soul of the Prophets from their body.

32. Fill you up then the treasure of your fathers.

CHRYS. He had said against the Scribes and Pharisees, that they were the children of those who killed the Prophets; now therefore He shows that they were like them in wickedness, and that that was false that they said, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not hare been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets. Wherefore He now says, Fill you up the measure of your fathers. This is not a command, but a prophecy of what is to be.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He foretell, that as their fathers killed the Prophets, so they also should kill Christ, and the Apostles, and other holy men. As suppose you had a quarrel with some one, you might say to your adversary, Do to me what you are about to do; but you do not therein bid him do it, but show him that you are aware of his maneuvers. And in fact they went beyond the measure of their fathers; for they put to death only men, these crucified God. But because He stooped to death of His own free choice, He does not lay on them the sin of His death, but only the death of the Apostles and other holy men. Whence also He said, Fill up, and not Fill over; for a just and merciful Judge overlooks his own wrongs, and only punishes those done to others.

ORIGEN; They fill up the measure of their fathers' sins by their not believing in Christ. And the cause of their unbelief was, that they looked only to the letter and the body, and would understand nothing spiritual in them.

HILARY; Because then they will fill up the measure of their fathers' purposes, therefore are they serpents, and offspring of vipers.

Catena Aurea Matthew 23

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Elizabeth Bichier

Feast Day: August 26
Born: 1773 :: Died: 1838

Elizabeth was born in France and came from a very good family. Then during the time of the French Revolution, Elizabeth's family lost everything they owned. This was because the republicans were taking property from the nobility.

But this intelligent young woman of nineteen studied law so she could fight her family's case in court. Being a good lawyer, she won the case and was able to save her family. The village shoemaker exclaimed: "All you have to do now is marry a good republican!"

But Elizabeth had no intention of marrying anyone republican or noble. On the back of a picture of Our Lady, she had written: "I dedicate and consecrate myself to Jesus and Mary forever."

Elizabeth soon joined the convent and became a nun, with the help of St. Andrew Fournet, she started a new religious order called the Daughters of the Cross.

As a little girl, her favorite game was building castles in the sand. Many years later, this holy French woman had to take charge of building many convents for the Daughters of the Cross. "I guess building was meant to be my business," she joked, "since I started it so young!"

This new order taught children and cared for the sick. Elizabeth would face any danger to help people. Once she found a tramp lying sick in a barn. She brought him to the convent hospital and did all she could for him until he died. The next morning the police chief came to tell her she could be arrested for sheltering a man who was a criminal.

Elizabeth was unafraid. "I only did what you yourself would have done, sir," she said. "I found this poor sick man, and took care of him until he died. I am ready to tell the judge just what happened."

` Of course, the saint's honesty and charity won her great respect. People admired her straight, clear answers. By 1830, Elizabeth had opened over sixty convents.

The order's co-founder, St. Andrew Fournet, died in 1834. St. Elizabeth wrote to the sisters, "This is our greatest and most sad loss." Then four years later St. Elizabeth died on August 26, 1838.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: August 26th

Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: August 26, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Paczki (Polish Doughnuts)

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa | Zsolt Aradi

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Zephyrinus, pope and martyr; Our Lady of Czestochowa (Hist)

Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Zephyrinus whose long pontificate was a period marked by the persecution of Septimus Severus, the struggle against heresy and the organization of the Christian community in Rome. In the person of the Pope the Roman Church asserted her claim as the appointed guardian of the true faith.

Today is also the feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa. According to tradition, the icon of Jasna Góra was painted by Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus himself, and the icon was discovered by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine and collector of Christian relics in the Holy Land. The icon was then enshrined in the imperial city of Constantinople, according to the legend, where it remained for the next 500 years.

St. Zephyrinus
Commodus, looked favorably on the Christians at the onset of his reign. His son Caracalla had been raised by a Christian nurse, and the emperor himself had been cured of some ailment by a Christian. However, Severus later reversed his position toward the Christians, probably due to their unpopularity with the Roman pagans, and he issued a decree forbidding any person to become either a Jew or a Christian. The persecution commenced once again.

Zephyrinus was a Roman and the son of Habundius. Some sources indicate that his strength did not lie in leadership, but that he depended greatly on the more capable and practiced Calixtus, who, since his release from the labor mines, had been rehabilitated and devoted himself to the Church. Consequently, he was appointed archdeacon. Not only did he direct the lower clergy for Zephyrinus but he was also entrusted with the administration of the official cemetery which the Church now owned.

Heresy stormed the Church from all sides, but Zephyrinus adhered firmly to the doctrine set forth by the apostles. The excommunicated tanner Theodotus continued to teach that Christ was not the true Son of God. He had even gone so far as to set up his own church and place a paid bishop in residence. This bishop, called Natalius, had previously been tortured for confessing the true faith. According to legend, angels were sent to Natalius in visions to rebuke him for joining Theodotus, since Jesus did not want anyone who had suffered for Him to be cast out of the Church. Natalius appeared to have seen the light; he threw himself upon the mercy of Zephyrinus and begged to be pardoned. Natalius was readmitted to communion by the bishop of Rome after considerable penance.

Zephyrinus decreed that all ordinations, even those of mere clerics, be performed before the assembled clergy and laity.

Another heresy, called Modalism, taught by Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius, was brought to the attention of Zephyrinus. Followers of this theory obliterated the distinctions between the entities of the Trinity. Zephyrinus immediately condemned this, again citing the original teachings of the apostles.

Zephyrinus was said to have been martyred and was buried in his own cemetery on the Appian Way.

The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

Symbols: Monstrance; triple cross.

Our Lady of Czestochowa (The Black Madonna)
The image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna, was traditionally believed to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth. It was said to have been brought from Jerusalem by St. Helen and was enshrined in Constantinople for 500 years. It was given to a Greek princess married to a Ruthenian nobleman and it was housed in the royal palace at Belz in the Ukraine for the next 600 years. Art historians believe it is a Byzantine icon of the Hodigitria type dating from the 6th - 9th Century.

The image was brought to Poland in 1382 by Ladislaus of Opole who rescued the painting from Belz while escaping an attack by the Tartars who had damaged the painting with an arrow. On his way to Silesia, Ladislaus stopped to rest in the town of Czestochowa near the church on Jasna Góra (Bright Hill). He believed that it was Our Lady’s desire for her image to remain in Czestochowa so he left the image at the church and invited the Pauline monks from Hungary to be its guardians.

On April 14, 1430, robbers, sometimes associated with the Hussites of Bohemia, looted the monastery and made three slashes on the face of Our Lady in an attempt to remove valuable stones, finally smashing the image into three pieces. In order to repair the icon, the original paint was removed and the icon was repainted. Although the icon was restored, the slashes in Our Lady’s face remain visible today.

The image of Our Lady of Czestochowa is associated with several miraculous events. One of the most spectacular occurred in 1655 during the height of the Protestant Revolution. The Swedish Lutheran army invaded Poland winning victories over city after city including Cracow and Warsaw. The Polish King fled the country. When the Swedish army came to Jasna Góra hoping to plunder the sacred site, the monks refused to surrender although they were greatly outnumbered. The following account is from the Polish historian Norman Davies as quoted in Warren Carroll’s series on Christianity.

“When negotiations brought no result the Swedes began a violent bombardment of the walls. Then, in order to spread fear among the defenders, they started to hurl blazing firebrands, setting the monastery’s barn alight together with a great quantity of corn. Next, all around the monastery, they set up a camp with wooden palisades and gun emplacements…But their attack had little effect. The walls were banked with earth on the inside, and only the cannon displaced a few bricks. Before long, the defenders opened fire in reply. The aim of their gunners was so accurate that after three hours the Swedes were obliged to pull back with great loss. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of houses adjacent to the monastery, where the enemy had found shelter, set their homes on fire, not counting the cost...

The Swedes renewed their attack on the 19th of November, the day of the Transfiguration of the Virgin…the official printed a description of this siege, which record that bullets and missiles fell so thick on the church and tower that they seemed to be in flames. But…the cannon balls bounced off the walls and tiles or flew over the church roof, causing no damage….Muller (the Swedish commander) was most angered by the monks, who would climb to the top of the tower and in full choir pour down pious hymns on his soldiers…

Jasna Góra was not saved by men…A thick mist screened the monastery from attack…Muller himself saw a Lady in a shining robe on the walls, priming the cannon and tossing shells back in the direction from which they came…He (General Muller) launched this last attack on Christmas Day, firing off all his guns in one salvo, and sending his entire army to storm the walls…But at that very moment he suffered a fatal accident. He was eating breakfast in a fairly distant house, and cursing Jasna Góra with blasphemies, when suddenly an iron shot penetrated the wall, knocked down all the plates, bottles and glasses from the table, scattered the guests, and struck him in the arm…At last, in the night before St. Stephen’s Day, the Swedes started to drag the guns from their emplacements, to collect their equipment, and to direct their wagons in the direction of Klobuck…Of course, no heretic will believe that cannon balls were repulsed from the walls of Jasna Góra by supernatural means…but all that I have described is true.”

The victory of Our Lady of Czestochowa at Jasna Góra turned the tide of the war. In 1656, the Polish King Jan Casimir proclaimed the Mother of God the “Queen of the Polish Crown” and the shrine at Jasna Góra, the “Mount of Victory” and the spiritual capital of Poland. In recognition of the miraculous image, Pope Clement XI donated a crown to be placed on the image in 1717. Thieves stole the bejeweled crown in 1909. Pope St. Pius X replaced the 1717 crown with a crown of gold.

Our Lady intervened again in 1920 when the Russian army was about to invade Warsaw. As they were about to cross the Vistula River on September 15th, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa appeared in the clouds over Warsaw and the Russian Army retreated. Shortly after this Miracle of the Vistula, in 1925, Pope Pius XI designated May 3rd as the feast day of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

After the liberation of Poland from Nazi occupation, 1.5 million people gathered at Jasna Góra in 1945 to rededicate the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pope John Paul II visited the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa four times during his pontificate. Our Lady’s intercession is credited with the liberation of Poland from Communist rule.

The holy painting enshrined at Czestochowa has been a lighthouse of hope during centuries of hardship and defeat. Today, the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa attracts millions of who love and honor Our Lady’s intercession.

Excerpted from St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

Why is She Black?

There have been reports for centuries of miraculous events such as spontaneous healings occuring to those who made a pilgrimage to the portrait. It is known as the “Black Madonna” because of the soot residue that discolors the painting. The soot is the result of centuries of votive lights and candles burning in front of the painting. With the decline of communism in Poland, pilgrimages to the Black Madonna have increased dramatically.

Excerpted from The Mary Page

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 23:27-32

21st Week in Ordinary Time

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. (Matthew 23:27)

What would you think if someone called you a “whitewashed tomb”? If you had lived during Jesus’ times, you would have been terribly insulted. In his era, tombs were usually carved into a rocky hillside and protected from marauders by a heavy stone door. Oftentimes these tombs were hidden in the landscape, which could be inconvenient because Judaic tradition believed that any contact with a tomb—especially the bones or bodies inside a tomb—would render someone “unclean.” The purification process after such contact could take up to seven days.

So to help prevent accidental contact with a tomb, every year around the beginning of March, graves were whitewashed, or marked with lime powder, which would give them a beautiful whitish glow. And so the tombs would become more conspicuous, keeping people from accidently rendering themselves unclean.

As we see, Jesus is being extremely graphic in his words with the scribes and Pharisees—both graphic and pointed. Such an insult must have had a shocking effect on his audience. Even today, the term “whitewash” is used to indicate when someone is deliberately covering up his or her mistakes.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be whitewashed tombs either. He doesn’t want us to project a fake glowing façade that hides any interior mess. He doesn’t want us to try to cover up our mistakes and pretend we are someone we aren’t. No, Jesus wants us to be real, inside and out. He wants us to find the courage to open up the unclean parts of our lives and ask for his help.

Here is one way to lower your guard and let Jesus in. The next time you receive the Living Bread at Mass, tell Jesus about one area of your life that needs some attention. Imagine him entering that part of your heart and scrubbing it clean. As you keep praying, see if you can sense his presence. What is he saying to you? How is he helping you? Finally, listen as he tells you how beautiful and valuable you are. You are not a whitewashed tomb; you are his beloved child!

“Dear Lord, open my heart, and clean it out with your unconditional love.”

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Psalm 139:7-12

Regnum Christi

To Be or Not to Be - About Hypocrisy

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

August 26, 2015. Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

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!"

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that you are “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). I humbly come before you today. I trust completely in you, and therefore I want my life to be an open book where you write the pages of my life story.

Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me a sincere and humble heart.

What You See Is Not What You Get! One of the sternest reprimands Jesus gave was against the hypocrisy of those charged with the grave task of leading God’s people. They were called to transmit the hope of God’s promise of deliverance: “I will be your God and you shall be my people” (Jeremiah 24:7). Yet their vain righteousness was nothing but self-indulgence that burdened the flock of Israel to the point of despair. Instead of helping the people of God to turn from sin to a life of fidelity to God’s love, they preyed upon the spiritual sensitivity of the people for their own sordid gain.

Guillotine of Saints or Saints to the Guillotine? Human respect is the “guillotine of saints.” It has a suicidal effect and a deadly capacity to cut short the action of a zealous heart. Human respect renders love of God and souls sterile because it is nothing but pride disguised as fear, doubt, or the sophism of not wanting to hurt others’ feelings. True charity, on the other hand, gives testimony to the truth, regardless of the consequences this may bring – even persecution or the sword (cf. Romans 8:35). Shunning human respect may lead us to the “guillotine” of ridicule or persecution, but then we are on our way to becoming saints.

Like Father, Like Son, Hypocrites All: The Pharisees’ ancestors killed the prophets for chastising the people in God’s name. Now, Jesus ironically urges the Pharisees to prove themselves worthy of their heritage. Jesus separated himself from the religious leaders of the time. Unlike the Pharisees and Temple priests, who had become like mercenaries for the flock of Israel, Jesus was the Good Shepherd. Jesus instituted a new priesthood, based on his own: that of the Suffering Servant, the Paschal Lamb, the Messiah, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He made all things new and in truth set us free from sin.

Conversation with Christ: Oh Jesus, I thank you with all my heart for redeeming me. You let me hear your voice gently calling me. Strengthen me in faith, and fill me with your love so that I can one day join St Paul in saying, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

Resolution: I will be an enemy of hypocrisy and insincerity in my dealings with others today.

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August 26, 2015

Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Thes 2:9-13

Responsorial Psalm PS 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

Alleluia 1 Jn 2:5

Gospel Mt 23:27-32

St. Elizabeth Bichier

Ordinary Time: August 26th

Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: August 26, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Meditation: Matthew 23:27-32

One Bread, One Body

OUR ONLY WORTHINESS

August 26, 2015

Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Thes 2:9-13

Responsorial Psalm PS 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

Alleluia 1 Jn 2:5

Gospel Mt 23:27-32

St. Elizabeth Bichier

Ordinary Time: August 26th

Wednesday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: August 26, 2015(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Meditation: Matthew 23:27-32

One Bread, One Body

OUR ONLY WORTHINESS

Daily Readings for: August 26, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)