St. Rose of Lima, virgin 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10

From Paul,

Sylvanus and Timothy to the church of Thessalonica which is in God the Father and in Christ Jesus, the Lord. May the peace and grace of God be with you.

 We give thanks to God at all times for you and remember you in our prayers.   We constantly recall before God our Father the work of your faith, the labors of your love and your endurance in waiting for Christ Jesus our Lord.

 We remember, brothers and sisters, the circumstances of your being called.  The gospel we brought you was such not only in words. Miracles, Holy Spirit and plenty of everything were given to you. You also know how we dealt with you for your sake.

Since from you the word of the Lord spread to Mace­donia and Achaia, and still farther. The faith you have in God has become news in so many places that we need say no more about it.  Others tell of how you welcome us and turned from idols to the Lord. For you serve the living and true God, and you wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who frees us from impending trial.

 

Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a & 9b

The Lord takes delight in his people.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊   

Matthew 23:13-22

But woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow others to do so.  Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel by sea and land to win a single convert, yet once he is converted, you turn him twice as fit for hell as yourselves.

Woe to you, blind guides! You say: To swear by the Temple is not binding, but to swear by the treasure of the Tem­ple is.  Blind fools! Which is of more worth? The gold in the Temple or the Tem­ple which makes the gold a sacred treasure? You say:   To swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the offering on the altar is.   

How blind you are! Which is of more value: the offering on the altar or the altar which makes the offering sacred?   Whoever swears by the altar is swearing by the altar and by everything on it.   Whoever swears by the Temple is swearing by it and by God who dwells in the Temple.  Whoever swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.

 

Gospel Reflection：

How terrible it would be for leaders who did not do their responsibilities very well. There is a time for reckoning. For earthly power is a derived power. In our spiritual language, all power emanates from God. Men and women are mere stewards of this power.

And therefore, at the end of each leader’s rule, he or she must make an accounting of what he or she did in the course of his or her leadership. That is why Jesus warns the leaders of His people, especially the religious leaders of His time. They have a heavy responsibility.

Since they represent God here on earth, they must do so with a pure and clean heart. It should not be their own voice that should prevail but that of God’s. They must have great capacity to hear God’s voice. And so, they must be friends of God.