Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

“Woe unto You Scribes and Pharisees”
by James Tissot, c. 1890’s

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Thessalonians 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.
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Commentary on 1 Thes 2:9-13
 
St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they received from him the word of God, not the words of man. He also speaks of the love with which he delivered the message, and finally how he rejoices in their ongoing faith.
 
The apostle did not confine this Gospel to any one group but delivered it broadly to the community. “’Those well-timed words, whispered in the ear of your wavering friend; the helpful conversation you managed to start at the right moment: the ready professional advice that improves his university work; the discreet indiscretion by which you open up unexpected horizons for his zeal. This all forms part of the 'apostolate of friendship'" (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 973).’” [4]
 
CCC: 1 Thes 2:13 104, 1349
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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Commentary on Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab
 
Psalm 139 is an individual meditation on God who is omnipresent, in all places for all time. The song rejoices that God is always with us, even in the darkest of times. "'The God of Psalm 139 is the last resort and is appealed to as such' (R. B. Coote, 'Psalm 139,' 38). There is a profound sense of the existential reality of God: the divine 'you' is as significantly real as the human 'I.' One who is, in Tennyson’s words, 'closer … than breathing and nearer than hands and feet' elicits radical commitment. Christians who profess faith in Immanuel and the Holy Spirit may discover that their faith means something more, but it should certainly not mean less." [5]

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Gospel:
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!”
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Commentary on Mt 23:27-32
 
This passage concludes St. Matthew’s treatment of the “Seven Woes” with the final two exhortations against the scribes and Pharisees. In the "sixth woe," Jesus derides the Hebrew leadership for false piety. While their acts of worship would make them seem upright and faith-filled, their interior agendas are sinful. Their professed faith is not echoed with actions outside the temple– especially with charity.
 
The “seventh woe” attacks the pride of these leaders who engage in pompous piety. “In spite of honoring the slain dead by building their tombs and adorning their memorials, and claiming that they would not have joined in their ancestors' crimes if they had lived in their days, the scribes and Pharisees are true children of their ancestors and are defiantly ordered by Jesus to fill up what those ancestors measured out. This order reflects the Jewish notion that there was an allotted measure of suffering that had to be completed before God's final judgment would take place.” [6] Theologically, verses 29-32 provide strong support of Maccabeean purgatory.
 
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Reflection:
 
The Gospel causes us to examine the relationship of our external image with our internal core.  In Jesus’ on-going criticism of the scribes and Pharisees he chides them for performing acts of worship for the sake of appearance, rather than out of true devotion to the Lord.  This false piety is so that others in their community will support their image of righteousness and give them credibility in the assembly of the faithful.  It is their base of power and the roots of their authority. 
 
When Jesus attacks this characteristic, he becomes a real threat to the religious power structure of the region which, while having its administrative authority usurped by the Roman occupiers, still wields great influence.  Because it purports to have significant control over the local populations, it can pressure the official government to act (as we see when Jesus is later arrested).
 
We are forced to consider this question: Why does Jesus attack those who lead the Jewish people?  Why does he not instead go after the Romans who are pagan in their beliefs and, without question, oppressive to the people?  It is because his kingdom is not of this world.  He does not concern himself with the Romans because they claim authority in the physical realm, while the scribes and Pharisees claim to have authority over the gates to God’s kingdom.  That kingdom is the one over which Jesus is Lord.
 
This is an important distinction for us because it helps us set our own priorities.  What needs to be most important to us in our lives of faith is that part of us which is destined to live eternally with our Father in Heaven.  We must be constantly safe guarding that element of our being, and working to keep it as free of sin as possible.  We are called to hold our faith in God and Christ closely to ourselves, building it up through prayer, the Word, and sacramental graces.
 
Does this mean that we need not concern ourselves with the physical world around us?  Absolutely not!  Our internal faith, if it is genuine, will be reflected in all of our actions.  What we truly believe must color everything we do.  What the Lord objected to in the scribes and Pharisees was that their actions, that seemed pious while in public worship, were not supported by their actions outside that arena.  Our true faith will be expressed in all facets of our lives.
 
Today our prayer is this; that our interior spiritual strength and faith in Jesus will continue to increase and it will shine out, like the light of a flame that passes through clear glass, bringing the warmth of Christ to the world.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Woe unto You Scribes and Pharisees” by James Tissot, c. 1890’s.
[2] S.S Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Letters of St. Paul, The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003, p. 513.
[5] Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (Revised), vol. 21, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 331.
[6] NAB note on Matthew 23:29-32.