Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass readings

Today’s readings provide an opportunity to consider whether we have each developed our faith in a manner that is pleasing to God. When we attempt to gain a deeper understanding of God, we are always processing that understanding through our own perception. When we attempt to understand God through our own perception, it is possible that our understanding might be more about us and less about God. When the finite mind attempts to understand the infinite, there are opportunities for problems. Our readings highlight some of these potential problems and warn us to be vigilant in discerning when our actions are really intended to please other people instead of God. In our first reading Paul identifies the proper role of those that are Apostles of Christ. He notes that this role is not centered on discerning what will be pleasing to mankind, but instead, it is centered on what is pleasing to God. Paul notes that the motives of those speaking the Gospel are important. Where these motives center around gaining “praise from men” the speaker is not properly aligned with God’s will.

In our Gospel readings, we pick up in the middle of Jesus’ admonishment of the Pharisees, which comprises Chapter 23 of Matthew. In this admonishment, Jesus is pointing out the formalistic nature of the Pharisees’ actions. Jesus is particularly critical of those Pharisees who are hypocrites in that they give the outward appearance of being devout, while internally, they are motivated by seeking approval from other men – not God.

In Chapter 23 of Matthew, Jesus provides one of his strongest critiques of a group. Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees is one that we might consider while examining our own faith. Are we going through the motions or are we really trying to develop a personal relationship with God? Are we being hypocritical in talking the talk, but not walking the walk? The messages in today’s readings seem to provide us with an excellent opportunity to ask ourselves these questions and to remind us that as we continue our pilgrimage, we must be vigilant in ensuring that we continue to seek God instead of approval from others.

- John Sperino