Monday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time 26 August 2013
1 Thess. 1:1-5.8b-10.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly
calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and with much conviction. You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
In every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from (the) dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly
calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and with much conviction. You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake.
In every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from (the) dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
Ps 149(148):1b-2.3-4.5-6a.9b.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
Mt 23:13-22.
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
Mt 23:13-22.
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
(...)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it."
Commentary of the day :
Rule of the Master, monastic Rule of the 6th century
Prologue, 1-14 ; SC 105
(...)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it."
Commentary of the day :
Rule of the Master, monastic Rule of the 6th century
Prologue, 1-14 ; SC 105
Now, O man - you, first of all, who are reading this rule aloud to your community and then you who are listening to me as you listen to this reading: set aside every other thought for the time being and know that when I speak to you it is God who is admonishing you through my mouth. We have to make our way freely to our Lord God, through good deeds and upright intentions. If not, we will be summoned to appear before him and carried off by death in spite of ourselves, because of our sinful negligence... The time remaining for us to live is being lived by us as if it were a respite, whereas God's goodness is looking daily for progress from us. It wants something better from us to day than yesterday.You who are listening to me, pay close attention. Then my words..., marching along by means of the application of your mind, will come at last to the crossroad of your heart. When you have reached this crossroad... leave the way of evil behind, which is the way of ignorance, and stand in front of the two ways opening out in front of you: these are the two ways of observing the Lord's commands. We who are seeking for the way that leads to God, let us come to a halt in our hearts at this crossroad and consider these two ways, these two kinds of understanding, that present themselves before us. Let us consider by which of these two ways we can reach God. If we continue to the left then we should fear – for this way is broad – in case it may not rather be the one that leads to perdition. If we turn to the right then we are on the right road, for this way is narrow and leads faithful servants to their Lord himself... Be conformed, then, to what you hear before you quit the light of this world for you will not return to it before the resurrection. And at the resurrection, if you have acted well here in this present time, you will be destined for eternal glory with all the saints.
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