Twenty-First Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

We are all sinners and we should remember that whenever we are tempted to take pride in ourselves or lord it over others. No matter how much good we do in this life, we will never have the right to look down on others and judge them. God is the only judge and in the end he will look at us through the eyes of those whom we most hurt or distained in our lives. There is nothing wrong with acting righteously, but we should never puff ourselves up and feel holier than thou. We must be true to the message of God as given to us through Jesus Christ and his gospel.

Are we judgmental toward others or hypocritical in regards to the gospel? If so, then how can we bring our lives into alignment with the model that Jesus has given us? How can we be a better manifestation of God for others?

O Lord, help us to live lives of faithfulness to your commandments.

Amen.