Regnum Christi
Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 23:23-26
Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you again in prayer. Even though I cannot see you, I know through faith that you are present in my life. I hope in your promise to be with me. I love you, and I know you love me. Accept this prayer as a token of my love.
Petition: Lord, help me to dedicate my life to weightier matters rather than mere appearances.
1. Tithed Up in Knots: When God originally commanded his people to tithe, it was so that they would acknowledge him as the source of all the gifts in their lives. It was to be the recognition on their part that all they had was from him, that he is Lord, and that his law is the way to salvation. Yet it became easy for the Israelites to fall into legalism and forget the true purpose of the tithe. They observed the letter of the law and forgot the meaning of the law: acknowledge the sovereignty of God. In the end, all we are and all we have belongs to God. We have to use our talents, wealth and possessions all for him and his kingdom. Is there some area in which I do not acknowledge his sovereignty in my life?
2. What Really Counts: What are the weightier matters of the law? Jesus speaks of justice and mercy and faith. When we neglect these, we are distorting true religion, for true religion is not a question of formalisms and actions to appease God, but rather of turning our hearts to his word. We need to make our hearts more like his, in charity and mercy toward others. How many times do we miss the most important things and work only at side issues? How often do we try to please God in the wrong way, by supposing we are doing his will when really we are only doing our own will instead? How often do we forget the true essence of devotion to the law of God?
3. Interior Cleaning: “First clean the inside of the cup…” We should tend to our soul and make sure the intentions behind our actions are holy motivations. We need to check our heart frequently so that we can work with purity of intention. Sometimes we work only to present an appearance to others, to appear virtuous and holy, but inside we are filled with negative judgments, such as lack of charity. Virtue comes from within the heart of a person, where the Spirit dwells and inspires as he wills. We need to be attentive to the Holy Spirit and follow his lead.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know what is in my heart. Purify it and recast it in the image of your divine heart, so that I may love you and love others as you love them. Let me put aside all vanity and desire for appearances that does not give glory to you.
Resolution: I will examine my conscience as to the motives of my actions each day, making sure I am inspired by mercy, justice and faith.
Homily of the DayAugust 23, 2016Made Pure in Christ
In the first reading, we are encouraged to persevere in our calling as Christians. Nowadays we are not very good at persevering. Couples easily break up, priests leave their ministry, people in business cheat one another, etc. Perseverance is closely linked to faithfulness. We are called to persevere in our faithfulness to God. We have been enlightened by many events in our lives which have proven to us how much God loves us. So why do we not persevere in the faith? Because the devil constantly tempts us to think the opposite, to tell us that money is more important than family, that carnal pleasures are desirable and to escape from the cross. A Christian perseveres because he firmly believes that Jesus is the Lord and he wants to please him with all his being. But without the Holy Spirit he often falls to the temptations of the world. So he needs to live by the Spirit and nurture the love he has for God in his heart. He must say no to the devil every day and fight the daily battle of faith. If he keeps in mind that Jesus will come again, he will strive to persevere in his Christian life while eagerly awaiting His Second Coming.
The gospel tells us to clean and remove the dirt inside us. We are told not to be scrupulous but to mind the weightier matters of the Law which are justice, mercy and good faith. To be a follower of Christ means to understand the central point of Christianity, which is to love as Jesus loved us, till the point of death. So we know that we will have to be vigilant always and not fall into Pharisaic hypocrisy. Let us not be found among the goats at the Last Judgment but among the sheep that have been faithful to the teachings of the Lord.