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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

August 28, 2012 – Matthew 23:13-22 – Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees


Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe met, dill and cummin, and has neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faith. It is this 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 Pharisees! First, clean the inside of the cup so that the outside may be also clean.

Father Damian McPherson said that the scribes and Pharisees received severe criticisms from Jesus as they do not practice what they preach. They were unwashed, corrupt, undisciplined and sold their souls to values not respected by law. They were clean outside but inside a war in waging. We are inclined to choose God because sin and grace live side by side. We encounter stumbling blocks which we could turn into stepping stones to possess the truth of the gospel and follow it more convincingly. We should be open to the power of God’s grace.

Today is the feast of St. Augustine, the son of St. Monica.

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