Reflection for August 26 Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time: 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 was Jesus so aghast at the scribes and the Pharisees?

Because they did not walk their talk. What they said was contrary to what they did. They told the people what to do, yet they themselves did not practice what they preached. They were good at giving commands, but their responsibility seemed to end with giving those commands.

They were also very conscious of their outward appearance. They always put their best foot forward, so to speak, yet they paid little attention to the condition of their hearts and to their manipulative behavior. They were more concerned with how they appeared before others than with who they truly were before God.

As we reflect on their attitudes, let us not be too quick to point our fingers at them. Perhaps, at times, we too can fall into the temptation of saying the right things while failing to live them out. We may speak about humility yet seek recognition, speak about honesty yet hide the truth, or speak about love while being indifferent to those who need our compassion.

Sadly, we can also see this attitude among some powerful people who project a clean public image but lack integrity. They manipulate others so that they will be admired, respected, and looked up to. Yet earthly power, prestige, and influence are temporary. Nothing lasts forever in this world. Eventually, those who rely solely on power will lose it, and those who exalt themselves through arrogance will be humbled.

This reminds us that God does not look merely at our outward appearance. He looks into our hearts. We may be able to impress people with our words, accomplishments, positions, or public image, but we can never hide the truth of our hearts from God.

Therefore, let us ask the Lord to help us become transparent, sincere, humble, and genuine in our relationships with one another. May our words be consistent with our actions, and may our faith be visible not merely in what we say but in how we live. Let us avoid manipulation, arrogance, hypocrisy, and superficiality, and instead allow God's grace to shape our hearts into hearts that are humble, compassionate, and sincere.

May we never become so concerned about appearing good before others that we forget to become good before God. May our lives quietly testify to the faith we profess, not through self-promotion, but through love, service, humility, and integrity.

As we stand before God today, are our words and actions truly walking together—or are we only putting our best foot forward for others to see while God is gently asking us to let Him transform what is hidden within our hearts?—Marino J. Dasmarinas