21ST MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 23:13-22) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” (Mt 23:13)

FIRST READING - 1 Thess 1:1-5, 8b-10

"You turned to God from idols to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus."

A reading from the Letter to St. Paul to the Thessalonians

^1 [a]Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace.

² We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly ³ calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope^[b] of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, ⁴ knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen. ⁵ For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and [with] much conviction. You know what sort of people we were [among] you for your sake. ⁸ For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and [in] Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. ⁹ For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God ¹⁰ and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from [the] dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 23:13-22

“Woe to you, blind guides."

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew

^13 [a]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven^[b] before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. [¹⁴ ]^[c]

^15 [d]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

^16 [e]“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ ¹⁷ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; ²¹ one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; ²² one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.

21ST MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 23:13-22)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God is addressed to the good shepherds of God.

God has bestowed His grace upon the shepherds so that they may distribute and give it to the flock. That grace is the spiritual life, helping people to live in close union with God, to live according to His commandments, and to help people also enter and enjoy the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven with God the Father. For this reason, God will judge His shepherds on their actions, their deeds, their conduct, and their responsibilities toward each sheep that God has entrusted to them. He will judge in a detailed and specific manner the actions of the shepherds toward the flock.

The Word of God in today's Gospel gives a forewarning to the shepherds: Woe to those who hinder souls from coming to God, who prevent them from living in love, charity, and self-giving. And He also says, “Woe to you, blind guides.” He further pronounces many other woes upon those shepherds who do not live according to the teachings and commandments of God, who fail to fulfill their duties and responsibilities in the role of shepherd that God has entrusted to them—namely, to care for God’s flock, especially the wounded sheep, and to seek out and lead the lost sheep back to God the Father. He will demand much from shepherds, for as He has said: "More will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

The words of God: “Woe to you” express the severe and strict judgment of God upon the shepherds—when the shepherds cause the souls of His children to fall into sin and offend God, when they cause the souls of the sheep to stray away from God, when the shepherds do not open the door, do not lead the way to bring the souls of the sheep to God who is Love. These are the matters that God warns the shepherds about in advance, so that they may avoid them and be awakened to their own mistakes.

Therefore, in today’s Word of God, God calls upon all His shepherds to live and act according to His commandments by fulfilling the duty of being a good shepherd:

• To always knows how to love and care for the flock that God has entrusted to them.

• Lead the lost sheep back to God and wholeheartedly care for those sheep in need of His mercy.

• Do not retreat, do not abandon the sheep who are being harassed and imprisoned by Satan.

• Courageously fight against Satan so that they may be driven away from the flock, allowing those souls to be free to return to God, who is Love.

• Live according to the example of Jesus Christ by sacrificing oneself to save the other sheep, so that they too may enjoy the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven in the life to come.

This is the calling that God gives to all shepherds of God the Father: to be truly good shepherds, like Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

Thanks be to God. Amen