St. Louis of France, 

St. Joseph Calasanz, priest 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

 Remember our labor and toil;

When we preached the Gospel, we worked day and night so as not to be a burden to you.  You are witnesses with God that we were holy, just and blameless toward all of you who now believe.  We warned each of you as a father warns his children;  we encouraged you and urged you to adopt a way of life worthy of God who calls you to share his own glory and kingdom.

 This is why we never cease giving thanks to God for, on receiving our message, you accepted it, not as human teaching, but as the word of God. That is what it really is, and as such it is at work in you who be­lieve.

 

Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Matthew 23:27-32

Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs beautiful in appearance, but inside there are only dead bones and uncleanness.   In the same way you appear as religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within.

 Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.  You say: Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in the blood of prophets.  So, you yourselves confess to be kins of those who murdered the prophets.   And now, finish off what your ancestors began!

 

Gospel Reflection：

 Again Jesus continues his tirade against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. They are not bad people. Actually their zeal for the law of the Lord is burning and strong. All they want is for all Israel to worship God the way he is meant to be worshipped.

Sadly, their zeal blinded them to what is most important. It calcified their religious sensibilities. And so, they focused on the external following of the law rather than its spirit which is based on love and compassion. And so it becomes oppressive and anti-people.

Only a rich and privileged few, to which the teachers of the law and the Pharisees belong, can follow it to the letter. And in time, they created new legislation that made it impossible for ordinary people to follow.

Over time, this created a class of spiritual elites who are out of touch with the plight of the ordinary people. They are supposed to make God close to the people. But what they did is to make God so remote that only they have access to God.