Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Or Optional Memorial of Saint Rose of Lima, Virgin
Matthew 23: 1-12
Living the Gospel Without Masks

In today’s Gospel, Jesus delivers one of his sharpest critiques, not of unbelievers, but of religious leaders—the scribes and Pharisees—who preach righteousness but fail to live it. “They preach but do not practice,” warns Jesus. The tragedy here is not their teaching, but the hypocrisy behind it. They carry the Law of Moses on their lips but not in their hearts.

Jesus challenges all of us—especially those in positions of leadership in the Church, in the family, or in society—to lead not with titles or words, but with lives that inspire. Authority in the Christian sense is never about domination; it is rooted in service, humility, and good example. “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

There is real danger when authority becomes performance. Jesus exposes the desire for public recognition—the best seats, the loudest greetings, the need to be admired. In our world today, where visibility and status are often equated with success, Christ’s call to simplicity and fraternity is revolutionary.

What makes a leader credible is not how well they command, but how well they serve. St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan priest, reminds us of this. In Auschwitz, he did not preach from a pulpit, but gave his life in exchange for another man’s. His authority came not from title, but from sacrificial love. Like Jesus, he laid down his life for his friends.

Today, Jesus calls us to strip away the masks of spiritual pride and reclaim our identity as brothers and sisters—servants of one another. The more we empty ourselves of ego, the more room we make for God to work through us.

May Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord, help us follow her Son with sincerity, letting our lives—not just our words—proclaim the Gospel.

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Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025