31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
05th November 2023 (Sunday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 3
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
“I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you. You have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.” Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Psalm 131:1, 2, 3
R/. Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13
Brethren: We were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labour and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. You have one Father, who is in heaven, and you have one instructor, the Christ.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 23:1-12
At that time: Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honour at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: Hypocrisy is Ruinous!
Guidlines: Hypocrisy is one real danger that creeps into our religious practices. If we are not cautious, it can easily turn us very conceited, deceiving ourselves, and deceiving others as well{alertSuccess}
1. Jesus comes up heavily against the Pharisees and scribes on account of their hypocrisy. Their religious practices were like a body without a soul. They performed many pious activities but without the real spirit and an authentic heart. Their life did not correspond to their teaching.
2. They did not practice what they taught the people. There was a wide chasm between their creed and deed. They demanded so much from the people, which they themselves did not follow.
3. Further, they do all their observances, not with the pure intention of love for God and pleasing Him. It was with the motive of making a show, displaying their pity, and seeking applause and praise. They sought always self-glory and not God’s glory.
4. Their hypocrisy is all the more seen in their total lack of humility. They love the best seats, best titles, best greetings, and best honours. They love to be addressed and honored as a rabbi, teachers, and masters. They always seek to exalt themselves.
5. The same virus of hypocrisy is real in our case as well. It has been vigorously devouring quite many in the church, leaving aside the outside world. The steep dichotomy between what we profess and what we practice, between what we believe and what we live, is quite real. Being so lenient and indulgent toward self but being stringent and exacting toward others too, is quite real.
6. A virulent trend of seeking self-interests and self-glory, excessive craving for titles, honour, and ranks, is very true. Lack of humility is at its peak. In this context, it is exigent to bear in mind the admonition and corrective of Jesus: 7. No one is a teacher because there is only one teacher; no one is a master because there is only one master; no one is a father because there is only one father. This should make us realize that our addresses or titles or functions are not our identities. 8. We may teach but we are not teachers; we may be fathering but we are not fathers; we may master others but we are not masters. Our identity is always being children of God, servants, and followers, friends of Christ.Practice: Humility and authenticity alone will make our religiosity and spirituality profound, witnessing and pleasing in the sight of God. They are the need of the hour!{alertSuccess}