First Reading: 1 Thes 2:1-8
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our reception among you was not without effect. Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we drew courage through our God to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle. Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives, nor did it work through deception. But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed–God is witness– nor did we seek praise from men, either from you or from others, although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 139:1-3, 4-6
R (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Gospel Reading: Mt 23:23-26
Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You do not forget the mint, anise and cumin seeds when you pay the tenth of everything, but then you forget what is most fundamental in the Law: justice, mercy and faith. These you must practice, without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a mosquito, but swallow a camel.
"Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the cup with theft and violence, and then pronounce a blessing over them. Blind Pharisee! Purify the inside first, then the outside too will be purified."
Going to the Depths
Lies are like a thin layer of artificial shine covering poison. And poison has the strange power of boiling over until it bursts out, no matter how beautiful the surface looks. One lie leads to another, and then another, just to keep covering up the corruption. On the outside everything is made to look nice, sweet, and refined. For a while it may deceive, but eventually the falsehood gets tiring, suspicious, and finally uncovered. Hypocrisy always becomes transparent.
We see this lie around us all the time, in public life and in personal life. The poison keeps bubbling up like boiling water. On TV we constantly see faces telling us they are good and everyone else is bad, but they cannot hide the truth forever. The same happens in private life: one lie leads to another, and in the end the whole story blows up.
Again, the reading from Thessalonians today contrasts with the Gospel. Paul is not a false or self-seeking politician; he gives his soul, life, and heart—not for his own gain, but for the good of others. “Not to please people, but to please God,” Paul says sincerely. Without going to the depth, the poison will eventually boil over and destroy even the appearance of goodness. Jesus warns us not to polish only the outside of the cup. If the inside is clean, the outside will shine naturally. There will be no need to prove to anyone that we are good; sincere goodness always speaks for itself.
It is not, as Paul says, about winning people’s approval—that is just the outside of the cup. It is about seeking God’s approval, finding His favor and grace. And God’s grace will overflow for the good of others—not to flatter them, but for their true good. That is why Paul says: we want to give not only the Gospel, but our whole selves. Lies are heartless, no matter how loudly they claim to serve others. Truth always carries the heart and the whole person.
Cármen AguinacoOpening Prayer
Truthful, authentic, genuine God,
you are the truth in its fullness.
Immerse us in your truth,
that we may emerge as truthful persons
who do not bother about outward appearances
but live in the likeness of Jesus Christ, your Son.
Thus make it possible for us to live
in communion with one another in mutual trust,
one in his Spirit,
today and every day and for ever.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
In today's first reading, Paul, speaking from experience, gives us the spirituality of an apostle. An apostle has to preach not his own message, but God's - straightforward, without duplicity, without personal gain, for it is God's good news. The apostle must also be ready to suffer for the gospel, as a suffering servant of the gospel, yet with assurance, for he derives his courage from God. The apostle loves the people to whom he is sent and shares with them not only the good news but his very life. Let us pray the Lord for this kind of missionaries and leaders and let us try to be this type in our own little way.
Gospel Introduction
There is always the danger that religions turn into a kind of ritualism that imposes practices of little meaning as if they were the saving factors. Ritualism and rubricism is still raising its ugly head even after Vatican II. How ridiculous, almost superstitious! Equally ridiculous because it is empty, is a religion that professes to have faith but minimizes or shuns religious practices. Be sure that with this attitude quite rampant in our time, true faith disappears.
General Intercessions
- For missionaries and all who proclaim the faith, that their own lifestyle be a strong argument to follow Jesus Christ, we pray:
- For all apostles and prophets in the Church, that their personal encounter with the Lord may give them the power to speak for what is right and good, we pray:
- For us, that we may learn to care little for outward display but for the things that matter: honesty, justice and love, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you could not give us a more truthful sign
than this bread and this wine;
here you show us again and again
how much you love us in your Son Jesus Christ.
Let this sign of your truthfulness
imprint on us an indelible mark,
that all may see that his Spirit lives among us,
today and every day, for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you show us in Jesus your Son
the way, the truth and the life.
Let him accompany us on the road
and teach us your truthfulness,
that we may live as authentic persons
in a genuine community of brothers and sisters
where it is good to live in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
today and for ever.
Blessing
Let us, as Jesus recommends, pay attention first of all to the important matters of the law: to justice and mercy, faith and love. The rest will follow easily. May almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
