Today we hear a stark warning from our Lord for His leaders of His Church, whether they serve from the Executive Committee, as Eucharistic ministers, lectors, choir members, hospitality, youth leaders or in any other capacity . What He wants is mercy, not ritual sacrifices. He wants forgiveness and reconciliation amongst His leaders and those they serve. He wants His holiness to shine forth in whatever His leaders say and do.
We must be cleansed by His saving grace from inside out. We do not serve for recognition by men and women. We do not serve for honour, but for the love of God who laid down His life for us.
And so, as St Paul says, we should be bearers of the Good News, not just by our words and actions, and that we should be prepared to lay down our lives for them whom we serve.
Lord You search me and You know me, as I search for You; let me find You in those love and serve for Your glory. Amen
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First reading
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 ·
We were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives
You know yourselves, my brothers, that our visit to you has not proved ineffectual.
We had, as you know, been given rough treatment and been grossly insulted at Philippi, and it was our God who gave us the courage to proclaim his Good News to you in the face of great opposition. We have not taken to preaching because we are deluded, or immoral, or trying to deceive anyone; it was God who decided that we were fit to be entrusted with the Good News, and when we are speaking, we are not trying to please men but God, who can read our inmost thoughts. You know very well, and we can swear it before God, that never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery, or a cover for trying to get money; nor have we ever looked for any special honour from men, either from you or anybody else, when we could have imposed ourselves on you with full weight, as apostles of Christ.
Instead, we were unassuming. Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as well.
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Gospel
Matthew 23:23-26
Clean the inside of the cup first, so that the outside may become clean
Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! Straining out gnats and swallowing camels!
‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.’
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