Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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!”
Woe to You!
1. Whitewashed tombs. Some people are dead while alive. They only care about appearances, but they have no real goals or purpose. When you lose the joy of living, and you only live for revenge or to destroy, then your life becomes a whitewashed tomb. Don’t let your life end while you’re still living. Learn to live without burying yourself.
2. Iniquity. Iniquity means injustice. It’s when you’re unfair and you abuse someone else’s trust. You might encounter this kind of people. Life itself is unjust, but faith helps you keep going. Faith allows you to find the courage to continue living despite unfairness. So, don’t let injustice kill your desire to live. Don’t let those who betrayed you destroy your will to move forward. Don’t let those who made you bitter take away your desire to build, and don’t let those who made you cry steal your dreams and your drive to create. Today, find the courage to overcome the injustices you face or have faced. Dare to live, to believe in yourself, and to understand that while all of this can happen to you or me, God has the final say in our life.
3. He will come. Life is time. That’s why anyone who plays with your time ends up playing with your life. Don’t let anyone play with your time. Today, you are what you’ve built with the time you’ve dedicated to yourself. So, don’t let anyone manipulate your life or hurt you. Someone who loves you won’t play with your time, and someone who respects your time is someone who respects your life.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
