Memorial of Saint Monica
Matthew 23: 27-32
Whitewashed, or Washed Clean?

In the springtime roads of Palestine, the tombs lining the way would gleam white in the sun. As William Barclay explains, before Passover, the Jews would whitewash these graves so pilgrims would not touch them and be made unclean. From a distance, they looked almost beautiful—yet inside, they held only bones and decay.

Jesus uses this image to confront the Pharisees: outwardly, they look holy and devout, but inwardly they are full of corruption. Their piety is a mask; their humility a performance. The danger is subtle—pride disguised as virtue, contempt hidden beneath a bowed head. As Barclay warns, “Once a man thinks he is good, his goodness is gone.”

On this feast of St. Monica, we see the opposite of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. Monica’s holiness was not for display; it was forged in hidden prayer, tears, and patient love for her son Augustine. She did not seek to appear righteous, but to be righteous before God. Her life was white, not from a coat of paint, but because her heart was continually washed clean by grace.

This Gospel warns us not to settle for an outward appearance of religion—perfect attendance at Mass, polite prayer postures, carefully chosen words—while neglecting the deeper work of the Spirit in our hearts. True holiness begins within. When the inside is cleansed by humility, repentance, and love, the outside will naturally shine—not with artificial whiteness, but with the radiance of Christ Himself.

St. Monica teaches us that the most beautiful faith is not the one people notice most, but the one God sees in the secret place. Let us pray for the grace to be washed clean, not whitewashed, so that our lives may draw others not to ourselves, but to the living God.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025