August 22, 2026
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 424
Reading 1
The angel led me to the gate which faces the east,
and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel
coming from the east.
I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters,
and the earth shone with his glory.
The vision was like that which I had seen
when he came to destroy the city,
and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar.
I fell prone as the glory of the LORD entered the temple
by way of the gate which faces the east,
but spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court.
And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.
Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple,
while the man stood beside me.
The voice said to me:
Son of man, this is where my throne shall be,
this is where I will set the soles of my feet;
here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
85:9ab, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 10b) The glory of the Lord will dwell in
our land.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have but one Father in heaven;
you have but one master, the Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082226.cfm
Commentary on
Ezekiel 43:1-7
This is our last reading from Ezekiel and also brings to an
end our series of readings from the prophets which we have been following since
Week 13. On Monday of Week 21, we will return to readings in the New Testament.
The message is filled with hope as it describes how God
comes back to his Temple after the Exile. It represents the high point of this
whole section of Ezekiel. It was a moment for which the Temple had been
prepared.
The glory of God is seen approaching from the east. It was
from this direction that the prophet had seen God leave his city. In the book
of Ezekiel, God’s glory is always active. The experience was both heard (“like
the sound of mighty waters”) and seen (“the earth shone with his glory”). God’s
visible glory is always described as being very bright. We remember the
brightness surround the birth of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel as the angels sang
“Glory to God in the highest!”
It reminds Ezekiel, too, of the vision he had seen when
Yahweh came to destroy the city (under the agency of Nebuchadnezzar).
As God in his glory enters the city from the east, Ezekiel
is lifted up by the Spirit and brought to the inner court of the Temple. With
God being nearer, the function of the guiding angel is taken over by the Spirit
of God. Ezekiel is transported into the inner court, but not into the Temple.
And now the Temple is filled with the glory of the Lord as
it was when consecrated by Solomon (1 Kings 8:11). Then “Someone” is heard
speaking to Ezekiel from the Temple. This “Someone” is Yahweh, but out of
reverence not named here, preserving an air of awe and mystery.
Yahweh addresses his prophet:
…this is the place of my throne and the place for the
soles of my feet, where I will reside among the people of Israel forever.
Once again, the covenant promise is renewed; but it is never
God who breaks it. His compassion and love are indicated by his readiness to
renew it again and again. The final renewal will be the New Covenant made
through God’s own Son, pouring out his blood in sacrifice for love of us all.
The glory of the Lord is always ready to enter our lives and
make our hearts the temple of his presence. Is he there now? Is he palpably
present in our community? Or have we driven him away? But we know that, no
matter how often we fail, he still stands at the door and knocks. Will I
welcome him in—not just for now, but for always?
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Commentary on
Matthew 23:1-12
We begin today chapter 23 of Matthew which consists of a
severe indictment of the Pharisees and scribes by Jesus. This is not to be
taken as a blanket condemnation of every individual Pharisee and scribe,
because we know that many of them were good people. One outstanding example is
Gamaliel who appears in the Acts of the Apostles as a man of justice and
integrity. As well, Nicodemus, “who had at first come to Jesus by night” (see
John 3), and Joseph of Arimathea who asked Pilate to allow him to take down the
body of Jesus for burial (see John 19:38), were also both Pharisees.
The passage certainly reflects some of the conflicts which
arose between the early Christians (especially those who were Jews themselves)
and those Jews who were opposed to the Christian Way, who saw it as a heresy
and who often subjected the Christians to verbal and even physical attacks and
harassment.
What Jesus is attacking is not so much a particular people
as certain attitudes of mind. And these attitudes can be found just as easily
within the Christian community of that time and every period since then. We
should listen to Jesus’ words, then, directed not so much to abstract Pharisees
and scribes, but to ourselves. It is for our benefit and reflection that they
have been included in the Gospels. The Gospels are written for us and to us;
they are not historical diatribes against certain people in the past.
Jesus first of all emphasises that as people in authority
and experts on the subject, the scribes and Pharisees should be listened to
with respect and they should be obeyed when they teach. But Jesus says that
their behaviour—their example—should not be followed:
They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on
the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to
move them.
They have no hesitation in drawing up rules which are
difficult for people to carry out, but they do absolutely nothing to help in
their implementation. The Church has not always been without guilt in this kind
of thing, even in our own day. Nor have civil legislators or other people in
authority, including parents of families or teachers in schools, been without
fault. This is the double standard, where people set the rules which they
themselves do not keep: “Do as I say, not as I do” or “Do it because I tell you
to do it.”
Secondly, the Pharisees are attacked because everything they
do is to attract attention to themselves. But it is all on the outside. What we
call today ‘image’. Their phylacteries were bigger than others’ and their
tassels huge. The phylactery was a small box containing some of the central
words of the Law. It was worn on the arm or the forehead, a literal interpretation
of the exhortation in Exodus:
[The law] shall serve for you as a sign on your hand
and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the teaching of the Lord may be on
your lips, for with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. (Ex
13:9)
There were four tassels, sewn at each corner of one’s cloak.
The message given is clear: “We are better; we are holier.”
But it is a sham because it is all on the outside. That said, when it comes to
‘image’, our contemporary world has nothing to learn from the past.
They also expect special attention to be given to them: the
first row in the synagogue, places of honour at banquets, special honorific
titles. Sad to say, we have seen this not infrequently among church clerics in
our own lifetime. We see it daily among our politicians, business leaders, our
media personalities. They are not only given these things, they expect them as
a right. It is the VIP syndrome and often it is really ‘over the top’: the
private jet, the executive lounge in the airport, the special table in the
restaurant, the limousine from the hotel and other such luxuries.
Even ordinary people may become slaves of an image based on
externalities: the brand label prominently visible on the clothes they wear,
the places where they live, the cars they drive, and all the other consumer
baubles with which they surround themselves. None of these things, says Jesus,
makes a person great.
The greatest is the one who serves, that is, the person who
uses his or her gifts for the benefit of others, whose whole life is dedicated
to making this world a better place for others to live in. That is the type of
person to whom such trappings are totally irrelevant.
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Saturday,
August 22, 2026
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
may we love you in all things and
above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our
imagining.
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.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 23: 1-12
Then addressing the crowds and
his disciples Jesus said, 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of
Moses. You must therefore do and observe what they tell you; but do not be
guided by what they do, since they do not practice what they preach. They tie
up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, but will they lift a finger
to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like
wearing broader headbands and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of
honor at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted
respectfully in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi. 'You,
however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one
Master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father,
since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow
yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who raises himself up will
be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel
is part of a long criticism of Jesus against the Scribes and the Pharisees (Mt
23: 1-39). Luke and Mark mention only a few lines of this criticism against the
religious heads of the time. It is only the Gospel of Matthew which has a
longer presentation of this. This very severe text makes us foresee the
polemics which existed in the communities of Matthew with the communities of
the Jews of Galilee and Syria of that time.
In reading
this text, which is strongly contrary to the one of the Pharisees, we have to
be very attentive so as not to be unjust against the Jewish People. We
Christians, for centuries, have had attitudes against the Jews and, for this
reason, against the Christians. What is important in meditating these texts is
to discover their objective. Jesus condemns the lack of coherence and of
sincerity in the relationship with God and with the neighbor. He is speaking
about hypocrisy, that of yesterday as well as that of today, of our hypocrisy!
•
Matthew 23: 1-3: The basic error: they say, but they do not do. Jesus addresses
himself to the multitude and to the disciples and criticizes the Scribes and
the Pharisees. The reason for attacking them is the incoherence between their
words and their acts. They speak but they do not do. Jesus recognizes the
authority and the knowledge of the Scribes “The
Scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses! You must, therefore, do
and observe what they tell you, but do not be guided by what they do, since
they do not practice what they preach”.
•
Matthew 23: 4-7: The fundamental error is manifested in diverse ways. The
fundamental error is incoherence: “They
say, but they do not do”. Jesus enumerates the diverse points which reveal
this incoherence. Some Scribes and Pharisees imposed heavy laws upon the
people. They knew the Laws well, but they did not practice them; neither did
they use their knowledge to lessen the weight imposed upon the people. They did
everything possible to be seen and praised, they wore special tunics for prayer
and they liked the first places and to be greeted in the public squares. They
wanted to be called “Teacher”. They represented a type of community which
maintained, legitimized, and nourished the difference of social classes. It
legitimized the privileges of the great and the inferior position of the little
ones. Now, if there is something which displeases Jesus, it is appearances
which deceive.
•
Matthew 23: 8-12: How to overcome the fundamental error. How should a Christian
community be? All the community functions should be assumed as a service: “The greatest among you must be your
servant!” You should call nobody Teacher (Rabbi), nor Father, nor Guide;
because the community of Jesus has to maintain, legitimize and nourish not the
differences, but rather the fraternal spirit. This is the fundamental Law: “You are all brothers and sisters!” The
fraternal spirit comes from the experience that Jesus is Father, and makes of
all of us brothers and sisters. “Anyone
who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be
raised up.”
•
The group
of the Pharisees! The group of the Pharisees was born in the II century
before Christ, with the proposal of a more perfect observance of the Law of God,
especially regarding the prescriptions on purity. They were more open to
novelty than the Sadducees. For example, they accepted faith in the
Resurrection and faith in the angels, something which the Sadducees did not
accept. The life of the Pharisees was an exemplary witness: they prayed and
studied the Law during eight hours a day; they worked eight hours in order to
be able to survive; they dedicated eight hours to rest. This is the reason why
people respected them very much. And in this way, they helped people to keep
their own identity and not to lose it, in the course of centuries.
•
The
so-called Pharisaic mentality. With time, the Pharisees took hold of power
and no longer listened to the appeals of the people, nor did they allow them to
speak. The word “Pharisee” means “separated”. Their observance was so
strict and rigorous that they separated themselves from the rest of the people.
This is why they were called “separated”.
From this comes the expression “pharisaic mentality”. It is typical of the
persons who think to obtain justice through the rigid and rigorous observance
of the Law. Generally, they are persons who are afraid, who do not have the
courage to assume the risk of liberty and of the responsibility. They hide
themselves behind the Law and the authority. When these persons obtain an
important function, they become harsh and insensitive and indifferent to hide
their own imperfection.
•
Rabbi,
Guide, Teacher, Father. These are four titles that Jesus prohibits people
to use. Today, in Church, the priests are called “Father”. Many study in the
University of the Church and obtain the title of “Doctor” (Teacher). Many
persons receive spiritual direction and take advice from persons who are called
“Spiritual directors” (Guides). What is important is to take into account the
reason which impelled Jesus to prohibit the use of these titles. If these were
used by persons in order to affirm their position of authority and their power,
these persons would be in error and would be criticized by Jesus. If these
titles were used to nourish and deepen the fraternal spirit and service, they
would not be criticized by Jesus.
Personal Questions
•
Which is my reason for living and working in
community?
•
How does the community help me to correct and to
improve my motivations?
Concluding Prayer
I am listening. What is God's message?
Yahweh's message is peace for his people, for his faithful, if
only they renounce their folly. (Ps 85: 8)
Memorial of The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 627
Below are the readings suggested for today's Memorial.
However, readings for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, #707-712.
Reading 1
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
As they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as men make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
And the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
From David's throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
By judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2) Blessed be the name
of the Lord for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
Commentary on Isaiah
9:1-7; Luke 1:26-38
Today’s celebration occurs on the octave day of the
Assumption of Our Lady. In that feast we celebrate the reunion of Mary with her
Son on the day of her death. She is the first to join Jesus in eternal glory on
the basis that she is the only person, apart from her Son, who was totally free
from sin all her life. As the first of the human race in rank before God’s
presence, and as the Mother of Christ our King, she is given the title of
Queen.
The Gospel reading is the account of the Annunciation taken
from Luke’s Gospel. Just prior to this passage is the story of the announcement
of the conception of John the Baptist to Elizabeth, who was, in the normal
course of things, beyond child-bearing age. Now, six months into Elizabeth’s
pregnancy we are told that the angel Gabriel came on a special mission to a
young girl in the obscure town of Nazareth in Galilee. She was not yet married,
but was betrothed to a man named Joseph. Betrothal meant that she was fully
committed to marriage, but not yet living with her future husband.
The angel greeted Mary:
Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.
Mary is quite alarmed by this greeting. She is not aware of
being in any way special. The angel then goes on to tell her that she is
specially favoured by God. Because of this she will conceive and bear a son,
who is to be called Jesus (whose name means ‘God saves’).
This Son will be very special. He will be great, he will be
called the Son of God, and he will inherit the throne of his ancestor David. He
will become the ruler of the House of Jacob (that is, of Israel), but his
kingdom will never end.
Mary is deeply puzzled. How can this happen to her because
she is not yet married and has no relations with any man? The angel replies
that all this will happen through the special intervention of God. The child
she bears will be no ordinary child; he will be the Son of God, that is, his
Father is God through the power of the Holy Spirit. And, as a confirmation that
what seems impossible can happen, she is told of the pregnancy of her cousin
Elizabeth, something which in the normal course of events should not be
possible.
Mary then bows her head and submits unconditionally to the
words of Gabriel:
Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me
according to your word.
This is the high point of human history as we Christians
understand it. With that unconditional acceptance of God’s will for her, in
that moment, the new life began in the womb of Mary. It is the moment of
Incarnation, the moment of God’s enfleshment, of his becoming a member of the
human family and making God visible in a special way in our world.
Mary gave her unconditional ‘Yes’ to God’s request and that
is her glory. But it does not stop there because it is clear that Mary never
for a moment took back that ‘Yes’. She adhered to it through all the experiences
she would have in the years to come, some of them difficult and painful. And,
most painful of all, she stood at the foot of the Cross faithful to her Son to
the very end. She still had no idea of the joy to come.
Last week we celebrated her Assumption into God’s glory to
be with her Son immediately after her death. Today we honour her not ‘just’ as
the Mother of God’s Son. Rather, because Jesus is now Christ the King, she, as
the mother of a king, is a Queen. This we remember each time we pray the Glorious
Mysteries of the Rosary.
Mary, as Queen, is also Jesus’ First Disciple, having given
herself totally and unconditionally to God’s will for her. Let us ask her to
help us to follow in her footsteps that we may live up to our own calling to be
Priests, Prophets and Kings and Queens in Christ’s Mystical Body.
The First Reading is from the prophet Isaiah. It is a text
used by Matthew (chap 4) for the beginning of Jesus’ public life. It refers to
the coming of a Prince of Peace, who brings light into a dark world. He brings
joy and rejoicing and removes the burdens from people’s shoulders.
The second part of the reading tells how this happens. It is
because:
…a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
These titles were majestically put to music by Handel in his
‘Messiah’ oratorio.
The reading’s relevance to today’s celebration is, of
course, that it was through the cooperation of Mary that this Prince of Peace
came to be born. Her role in the great event of the Incarnation was crucial.
Jesus needs to be reborn in each one of us so that his
message can continue to be heard. Let us ask Mary to help us in carrying out
God’s will in our daily lives, and part of that will is that we share our
knowledge of Jesus’ Way with those who have not had the opportunity to hear it.
Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!
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