The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to give thanks for our relationship with Christ and reflection on the distractions and self instruction that may be leading us away from His Guidance.
The reading from Second Thessalonians expresses Thanksgiving and alludes to the Judgement at Christ’s Coming.
* [1:1–2] On the address, see note on Rom 1:1–7 and cf. 1 Thes 1:1.
* [1:3–12] On the thanksgiving, see note on Rom 1:8 and cf. 1 Thes 1:2–10. Paul’s gratitude to God for the faith and love of the Thessalonians (2 Thes 1:3) and his Christian pride in their faithful endurance (2 Thes 1:4–5) contrast with the condemnation announced for those who afflict them, a judgment to be carried out at the parousia (2 Thes 1:6–10), which is described in vivid language drawn from Old Testament apocalyptic. A prayer for the fulfillment of God’s purpose in the Thessalonians (2 Thes 1:11–12) completes the section, as is customary in a Pauline letter (cf. 1 Thes 1:2–3).
* [1:10] Among his holy ones: in the Old Testament, this term can refer to an angelic throng (cf. also Jude 14), but here, in parallel with among all who have believed, it can refer to the triumphant people of God.
* [1:12] The grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ: the Greek can also be translated, “the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 96 offers praise to God Who Comes in Judgement.
* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33. (Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls out the Blind Guides
* [23:13–36] This series of seven “woes,” directed against the scribes and Pharisees and addressed to them, is the heart of the speech. The phrase woe to occurs often in the prophetic and apocalyptic literature, expressing horror of a sin and punishment for those who commit it. Hypocrites: see note on Mt 6:2. The hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees consists in the difference between their speech and action (Mt 23:3) and in demonstrations of piety that have no other purpose than to enhance their reputation as religious persons (Mt 23:5).
* [23:13] You lock the kingdom of heaven: cf. Mt 16:19 where Jesus tells Peter that he will give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The purpose of the authority expressed by that metaphor is to give entrance into the kingdom (the kingdom is closed only to those who reject the authority); here the charge is made that the authority of the scribes and Pharisees is exercised in such a way as to be an obstacle to entrance. Cf. Lk 11:52 where the accusation against the “scholars of the law” (Matthew’s scribes) is that they “have taken away the key of knowledge.”
* [23:14] Some manuscripts add a verse here or after Mt 23:12, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. Because of this, you will receive a very severe condemnation.” Cf. Mk 12:40; Lk 20:47. This “woe” is almost identical with Mk 12:40 and seems to be an interpolation derived from that text.
* [23:15] In the first century A.D. until the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (A.D. 66–70), many Pharisees conducted a vigorous missionary campaign among Gentiles. Convert: literally, “proselyte,” a Gentile who accepted Judaism fully by submitting to circumcision and all other requirements of Mosaic law. Child of Gehenna: worthy of everlasting punishment; for Gehenna, see note on Mt 5:22. Twice as much as yourselves: possibly this refers simply to the zeal of the convert, surpassing that of the one who converted him.
* [23:16–22] An attack on the casuistry that declared some oaths binding (one is obligated) and others not (it means nothing) and held the binding oath to be the one made by something of lesser value (the gold; the gift on the altar). Such teaching, which inverts the order of values, reveals the teachers to be blind guides; cf. Mt 15:14. Since the Matthean Jesus forbids all oaths to his disciples (Mt 5:33–37), this woe does not set up a standard for Christian moral conduct, but ridicules the Pharisees on their own terms. (Matthew, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB, n.d.)
Michael Kavan asks himself – Like the scribes and Pharisees, “have I set up impediments in my life that keep me from accepting Jesus as the Christ and from entering the Kingdom of heaven?”
Is it arrogancy, hypocrisy, showmanship, or flat out not abiding by my sacramental oath to love God and to do so with all my heart. I pray that through humility and reflection that I may better understand my faults and better prepare to honor God in the manner that Jesus taught us. (Kavan, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Shutting the Kingdom of Heaven,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"There are those who dare to say that God is not good because of the curses in his law that he places against their sin. And yet the one who is truly the Son of God who gave that same law is also the same one who put blessings into the law. The same God who provides blessings for those who are saved in a similar way applies curses which he placed in the law against sinners. 'Woe,' he says. Woe to you and to those hearing these things who plead the God of the law and yet do not understand that these words were spoken by God in a kindly way. So we understand why Jesus said, 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees.' They believe that it is in fact a good thing to pronounce these curses against sinners. They consider the arrangement of the law's curses to be a part of God's design. The chiding father frequently urges his advice on his son for his improvement - advice that may seem to be a curse. He does not wish the curses to be actualized, however, but rather he desires to avert him from even more such curses." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 23:13-22 comments that one way we can “lock” ourselves out of God’s kingdom is to get so caught up in worldly pleasures and concerns that this world becomes the kingdom we inhabit most of the time. That could lead us to neglect our daily time with the Lord or even to skip Mass at times. As a result, we end up missing the opportunity to receive the mercy, grace, and nourishment that we need to live as citizens of heaven.
Many of the Pharisees and scribes missed out on the invitation that Jesus was offering them to enter into the new kingdom he was inaugurating. But you don’t have to. Every day you face the choice of whether you will embrace God’s kingdom and its values. Let’s make sure we “unlock” any doors of our hearts that we may have closed and say yes to the Lord!
“Lord, I want to live in your heavenly kingdom, now and forever.” (Meditation on Matthew 23:13-22, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the thoughts on the end of the world in 2 Thessalonians suggest an author other than Paul. The theme that the Church is doing very well underlines our responsibility to see the good in each other and praise them for it. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees is based on the legalism and scrupulosity in their interpretations of the Law.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes his own life’s journey from Order, through Disorder, to Reorder. He describes his experience of Reorder.
As time passed, I became simultaneously very traditional and very progressive, and I have probably continued to be so to this day. I found a much larger and even happier garden (note the new garden described at the end of the Bible in Revelation 22:1–2). I fully believe in Adam and Eve now, but on about ten more levels. (Literalism is usually the lowest and least level of meaning.) I no longer fit in with either staunch liberals or strict conservatives. This was my first strong introduction to paradox, and it honed my ability to hold two seemingly opposite positions at the same time. It took most of midlife to figure out what had happened—and how and why it had to happen. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the guidance of the Spirit to illuminate for us the attitudes and practices in our lives that are driven by our desires and rules rather than the Way that Jesus invites us to follow.
References
Kavan, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/082624.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/23?13
Meditation on Matthew 23:13-22. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/26/1060846/
Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/growing-in-faith/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug26
2 Thessalonians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2thessalonians/1?
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