Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time. Year II.
2 Thess. 3:6-10,16-18; Matt. 23: 27-32
Today’s readings are a continuation of yesterday’s. Perhaps the Church in her wisdom does not want us to gloss over the issue of hypocrisy and lawlessness too quickly. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus uses an analogy that the people clearly understood – white washed tombs. The Jews had the practice of painting tombs white so that they could stand out, especially tombs along mostly used paths. This was so that anyone could clearly tell where they are and avoid stepping on them. The Jews believed that coming in contact with corpses or tombs could make one unclean. So they knew exactly what Jesus was saying.
Friends, we need to stop living double lives. We know we’re weak people, but pretending to be ‘white’ while we’re indeed full of filth and rotten bones inside is a risk we cannot afford to take. It’s even worse for those of us who claim to be men and women of God and yet live lives more terrible than that of pagans. In the first reading, St Paul encourages us not to stay idle, while expecting manna to fall from heaven. We must actively and genuinely work for the reign of God’s kingdom here on earth. Let’s not think that we can get away with pretense. God knows us more than we know ourselves. The right time to act is now.
God bless your day ahead.
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