Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and
Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 426
Lectionary: 426
We ask you, brothers and sisters,
with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our assembling with him,
not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly,
or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement,
or by a letter allegedly from us
to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.
Let no one deceive you in any way.
To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them
in every good deed and word.
with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our assembling with him,
not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly,
or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement,
or by a letter allegedly from us
to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.
Let no one deceive you in any way.
To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them
in every good deed and word.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 96:10, 11-12, 13
R. (13b) The
Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
AlleluiaHEB 4:12
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 23:23-26
Jesus said:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean."
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean."
Meditation: Do
not neglect justice, mercy and faith
Do you allow any blind-spots to blur your vision of
God's kingdom and his ways? Jesus went to the heart of the matter when he
called the religious leaders of his day blind Pharisees
and hypocrites! A hypocrite is an actor or imposter who says one
thing but does the opposite or who puts on an outward appearance of doing good
while inwardly clinging to wrong attitudes, selfish desires and ambitions, or
bad intentions. Many scribes and Pharisees had made it a regular practice to
publicly put on a good show of outward zeal and piety with the intention of
winning greater honors, privileges, and favors among the people. Jesus had a
very good reason for severely rebuking the scribes and Pharisees, the religious
teachers and leaders, for misleading people and neglecting the heart and
essence of God's law - love of God and love of neighbor
What forms our outward practices and habits?
The scribes in particular devoted their whole lives to the study of God's law contained in the five books of Moses (Torah). As the religious experts of their day, they took great pride in their knowledge and outward observance of the commandments and precepts of the law of Moses. They further divided the 613 precepts of the Law of Moses into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for much else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! Jesus chastised them for neglecting the more important matters of religion, such as justice and the love of God. In their misguided zeal they had lost sight of God and of his purpose for the law.
The scribes in particular devoted their whole lives to the study of God's law contained in the five books of Moses (Torah). As the religious experts of their day, they took great pride in their knowledge and outward observance of the commandments and precepts of the law of Moses. They further divided the 613 precepts of the Law of Moses into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for much else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! Jesus chastised them for neglecting the more important matters of religion, such as justice and the love of God. In their misguided zeal they had lost sight of God and of his purpose for the law.
God's law of love reveals what is truly
important and necessary
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others who were not like themselves. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor.
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others who were not like themselves. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor.
The scribes and Pharisees meticulously went through
the outward observance of their religious duties and practices while forgetting
the realities of God's intention and purpose for the law - his love and
righteousness (justice and goodness). Jesus used a humorous example to show how
out of proportion matters had gotten with them. Gnats were considered the
smallest of insects and camels were considered the largest of animals in
Palestine. Both were considered ritually impure. The scribes went to great
lengths to avoid contact with gnats, even to the point of straining the wine
cup with a fine cloth lest they accidentally swallowed a gnat. The stark
contrast must have drawn chuckles as well as groans.
God's love shapes our minds and transforms our hearts
and actions
What was the point of Jesus' humorous and important lesson? The essence of God's commandments is rooted in love – love of God and love of neighbor, righteousness (justice and goodness), and mercy. God is love and everything he does, including his justice and goodness, flows from his love for us. True love is costly and sacrificial - it both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Do you allow the love of God to shape and transform the way you live your daily life - including the way you think of others, speak of them, and treat them?
What was the point of Jesus' humorous and important lesson? The essence of God's commandments is rooted in love – love of God and love of neighbor, righteousness (justice and goodness), and mercy. God is love and everything he does, including his justice and goodness, flows from his love for us. True love is costly and sacrificial - it both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Do you allow the love of God to shape and transform the way you live your daily life - including the way you think of others, speak of them, and treat them?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your love and mercy
that I may always think, speak, and treat others with fairness,
loving-kindness, patience, and goodness."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Neglecting Weighty Matters of Love and
Justice, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254
AD)
"Not only among the Jews but among ourselves as
well, we find people sinning in these ways. They are swallowing camels. People
of this type frequently show off their religion even in the smallest of things.
They are rightly called hypocrites for wanting to exploit their religiosity
before men but being unwilling to undertake that very faith which God himself
has justified. Therefore the imitators of the scribes and Pharisees must be
dislodged and sent away from us, lest a woe touches us in the same way it touches
them. The scribes could be described as those who valued nothing found in the
Scriptures except its plain sense interpreted legalistically. Meanwhile they
condemn those who look into the very depths of God himself. Mint and dill and
cummin are only spices for food but are not themselves substantial food. What
substantive food would mean in conversion would be that which is necessary for
the justification of our souls - faith and love - unlike these legalisms, which
are more like condiments and flavorings. It is as if a meal might be thought to
consist more of condiments and flavorings than the food itself. The seriousness
of judgment is neglected while great attention is given to minor matters.
Spiritual exercises which in and of themselves are hardly justice are spoken of
as justice and compassion and faith. It is lacking in justice to treat these
small parts as the whole. When we do not offer to God the observance of all
that is necessary for worship, we fail altogether." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 19-20)
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 28, MATTHEW 23:23-26
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17; Psalm 96)
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17; Psalm 96)
KEY VERSE: "Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!" (v. 24)
TO KNOW: Jesus lamented the false standards of the scribes and Pharisees who scrupulously adhered to the letter of the law while refusing to obey its spirit. The Mosaic Law commanded that a tithe be paid on the important crops of corn, oil and wine in gratitude for God's blessings (Dt 14:22-23). The religious leaders applied the law to the smallest garden herb. They took great pains with matters that had little importance (a "gnat") while neglecting justice, mercy and fidelity, the law's weightier purpose (a "camel"). Jesus condemned their preoccupation with external purification rituals while ignoring inner holiness. Because they were blind and corrupt, they could not lead others to faith.
TO LOVE: Am I concerned more with my outer appearance than with inner holiness?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, cleanse me of all unrighteousness.
Memorial of
Saint Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church
Augustine was trained in the Christian faith by his mother Monica, however, he lost his faith and led a wild life. He lived with a Carthaginian woman from age of 15 through 30, and fathered a son whom he named Adeotadus (the gift of God). After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, he became a Manichaean, which taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of Augustine's thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: "God, give me chastity and continence - but not just now." Augustine finally broke with the Manichaeans and was converted by the prayers of his mother and the help of St. Ambrose of Milan. In 387 Augustine was baptized at Easter along with his son, who died soon afterwards. After the death of his mother, Augustine returned to Africa, sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and founded a monastery. Augustine oversaw his church as Bishop of Hippo during the fall of the Roman Empire to the Vandals. His later thinking can also be summed up in a line from his writings: "Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you." Augustine is a Doctor of the Church.
"To late have I loved you, O Beauty, ancient yet ever new. Too late have I loved you! And behold, you were within, but I was outside, searching for you there . . . You were with me, but I was not with you. . . You breathed fragrant odors on me, and I held back my breath, but now I pant for you. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and now I yearn for your peace" (Augustine, Book X, n. 27).
NOTE: Mani was an Iranian born in 216 in the Parthian Empire. Manichaean theology presented an elaborate description of the conflict between the spiritual world of light and the material world of darkness. A key belief in Manichaeism is that the powerful, though not omnipotent good power (God), was opposed by the semi-eternal evil power (Satan). Therefore, the Manichaean worldview explained the existence of evil by positing a flawed creation in the formation of which God took no part and which constituted rather the product of a rebellion by Satan against God.
Tuesday 28
August 2018
St Augustine.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–3, 14–17. Psalm 95(96):10–13. Matthew
23:23–26.
The Lord comes to judge the earth—Psalm 95(96):10–13.
‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself … encourage you and
strengthen you in every good word and deed.’
Today’s Gospel addresses the Pharisees, but its message
challenges our own hypocritical actions and calls us to examine the gap between
what we espouse and what we do. We are reminded not to be absorbed by the
requirements of the law but rather to focus on the purpose of God’s laws. These
laws exist to make us more available for loving relationships with God and
others.
Jesus speaks clearly here of the fundamentals of justice,
compassion and faith. He draws us into radical relationships where we are
challenged to treat our enemies with compassion and to seek to reconcile with
them.
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Saint of the Day for August 28
(November 13, 354 – August 28, 430)
 |
| Saint Augustine of Hippo | Line engraving by P. Cool after M. de Vos | Wellcome Images |
Saint Augustine’s Story
A Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop at 41: Many people
are familiar with the biographical sketch of Augustine of Hippo, sinner turned
saint. But really to get to know the man is a rewarding experience.
There quickly surfaces the intensity with which he lived his
life, whether his path led away from or toward God. The tears of his mother,
the instructions of Ambrose and, most of all, God himself speaking to him in
the Scriptures, redirected Augustine’s love of life to a life of love.
Having been so deeply immersed in creature-pride of life in his
early days and having drunk deeply of its bitter dregs, it is not surprising
that Augustine should have turned, with a holy fierceness, against the many
demon-thrusts rampant in his day. His times were truly decadent: politically,
socially, morally. He was both feared and loved, like the Master. The perennial
criticism leveled against him: a fundamental rigorism.
In his day, Augustine providentially fulfilled the office of
prophet. Like Jeremiah and other greats, he was hard-pressed but could not keep
quiet. “I say to myself, I will not mention him/I will speak in his name no
more/But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart/imprisoned in my bones/I
grow weary holding it in/I cannot endure it” (Jeremiah 20:9).
Reflection
Augustine is still acclaimed and condemned in our day. He is a
prophet for today, trumpeting the need to scrap escapisms and stand
face-to-face with personal responsibility and dignity.
Saint Augustine is the Patron Saint of:
Printers
Theologians
Theologians
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
23:23-26
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Father,
help us to seek the values
that will bring us enduring joy in this changing world.
In our desire for what You promise
make us one in mind and heart.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
help us to seek the values
that will bring us enduring joy in this changing world.
In our desire for what You promise
make us one in mind and heart.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW
23:23-26
Jesus said: "Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin, and
have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and
fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind
guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! "Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee,
cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be
clean."
3) REFLECTION
• The Gospel today presents two other
times when this expression is used: “Alas for you...” Jesus speaks against the
religious leaders of His time. The two uses today denounce the lack of
coherence between word and attitude, between exterior and interior. Today we
continue our reflection which we began yesterday.
• Matthew 23:23-24: The fifth “Alas for you...” is against those who insist on observance and forget mercy. “You pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and fidelity.” This fifth “Alas for you...” of Jesus is against the religious leaders of that time and can be repeated against many religious of the following century even up to our time. Many times, in the name of Jesus, we insist on details and forget mercy. For example, Jansenism reduces lived faith to something arid, insisting on the observance and penance which led people away from the way of love. The Carmelite Saint Therese of Lisieux grew in the Jansenist environment which marked France at the end of the XIX century. Beginning from a personal painful experience, she learned how to reclaim the gratuitous of love of God, a force which should animate the observance of the norms from within, because, without love, the observance makes an idol of God.
• Matthew 23:25-26: The sixth “Alas for you...” is against those who clean things on the outside and are dirty inside. “You clean the outside of the cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus criticizes those who observe the letter of the law and transgress the spirit of the law. He says, "You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, ‘You shall not kill, and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court.’ But I say to you anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court. Anyone who calls his brother ‘fool’ will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him ‘traitor’ will answer for it in hell fire. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say this to you, if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:21-22, 27-28). It is not enough to observe the letter of the Law. It is not sufficient not to kill, not to rob, not to commit adultery, not to swear in order to be faithful to what God asks of us. The one who observes fully the law of God is the one who, besides observing the letter, goes deeply to the root and pulls out from within “the desires of extortion and intemperance” which may lead to murder, theft, and adultery. The fullness of the law is realized in the practice of love.
• Matthew 23:23-24: The fifth “Alas for you...” is against those who insist on observance and forget mercy. “You pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and fidelity.” This fifth “Alas for you...” of Jesus is against the religious leaders of that time and can be repeated against many religious of the following century even up to our time. Many times, in the name of Jesus, we insist on details and forget mercy. For example, Jansenism reduces lived faith to something arid, insisting on the observance and penance which led people away from the way of love. The Carmelite Saint Therese of Lisieux grew in the Jansenist environment which marked France at the end of the XIX century. Beginning from a personal painful experience, she learned how to reclaim the gratuitous of love of God, a force which should animate the observance of the norms from within, because, without love, the observance makes an idol of God.
• Matthew 23:25-26: The sixth “Alas for you...” is against those who clean things on the outside and are dirty inside. “You clean the outside of the cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus criticizes those who observe the letter of the law and transgress the spirit of the law. He says, "You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, ‘You shall not kill, and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court.’ But I say to you anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court. Anyone who calls his brother ‘fool’ will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him ‘traitor’ will answer for it in hell fire. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say this to you, if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:21-22, 27-28). It is not enough to observe the letter of the Law. It is not sufficient not to kill, not to rob, not to commit adultery, not to swear in order to be faithful to what God asks of us. The one who observes fully the law of God is the one who, besides observing the letter, goes deeply to the root and pulls out from within “the desires of extortion and intemperance” which may lead to murder, theft, and adultery. The fullness of the law is realized in the practice of love.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• There are two declarations of “Alas
for you...”, two reasons to receive criticism from Jesus. Which of these two
applies to me?
• Observance and gratuity: Which of these applies to me?
• Observance and gratuity: Which of these applies to me?
• Do these admonitions paint for me a
bigger picture of not only avoiding sin, but of internal purification and a
life of virtue?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Proclaim God’s salvation day after day,
declare His glory among the nations,
His marvels to every people! (Ps 96:2-3)
declare His glory among the nations,
His marvels to every people! (Ps 96:2-3)
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