Monday – 21st Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Matthew 23:13-22

“The Talk”

Church of the Holy Sepulchre  (look closely)

Ginger will be the first to agree:  I have my moods!   And believe me, she has had to put up with some real ‘doozies’.  There are times when I get upset over something and just shut down and stew!  But it doesn’t last long; Ginger doesn’t allow it!  Over the years, she has given me ‘the talk’!  Ok, be upset!  I will give you 24 hours but after that – get over it!  Snap out of it and get back to life!  Blunt and to the point!  Thank goodness for her patience and her honesty!  (I pride myself on being able to provide her with multiple opportunities to help her develop such a strong virtue of patience!)

In today’s Gospel, it feels like Jesus has had enough with the Pharisees and the scribes!  Enough is enough!  You are hypocrites!  You are blind guides!  You say one thing with your words and something completely opposite with your actions!  Snap out of it!  You are all blind fools!  This must be Jesus’ version of ‘the talk’.  He makes it very clear that they are leading people astray!  Their words and their actions do not mesh!  He denounces them for their hypocrisy, for their greed and pride and for not having any desire to serve God and one another.  These religious ‘experts’ know how to talk a good game but there is no substance.  They are all words and no action!  Jesus today gives them a rather harsh ‘talk’.  We have to wonder if any of them actually listened and changed their ways!

It is well past time for us to be Christian not just in words but in our actions, not just within the walls of the Church but out in the world.  It is well past time for us to show that we can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk!

 

Great Spirit, thank you for the gift of walking with you today!  May it open my eyes and my heart to the world around me!

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