Friday, August 23, 2019

Reflection for August 28, Wednesday; Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Matthew 23:27-32

Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32
Jesus said, “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.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!
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Reflection:
Why is Jesus so aghast with the scribes and the Pharisees? This is because they don’t walk their talk, what they say is contrary to what they do. They tell their people to do this and that yet they don’t do it themselves. They are only good at giving commands and it ends there.

They also are very much conscious with their outside appearance. They always put their best foot forward so to speak yet they don’t care about their manipulative behaviors.

They are very much like many powerful people who project clean public image but lacking in integrity. They manipulate people for them to looked up to as if they are as powerful as God. But nothing last forever in this world; eventually the powerful will become without power.

We therefore have to become transparent and sincere toward our fellowmen. No manipulation, no fakery and superficiality because Jesus’ abhors these kinds of pharisaic attitudes and behaviors. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

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