Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of Saint Louis of France Or Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest Matthew 23:13-22 When Religion Wears a Mask”
In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks with what William Barclay calls “the rolling thunder of Christ’s wrath.” Yet even in His stern words, there is sorrow. Jesus is angry not because He hates, but because He loves—His heart breaks over the blindness of those who lead others away from God.
The scribes and Pharisees were masters of religious appearance. Outwardly, they looked holy—meticulous in their observance of rules, wearing symbols of piety for all to see. But inside, their hearts were filled with pride, jealousy, and arrogance. They were actors in the worst sense, wearing masks that hid the truth. For Jesus, true religion is not a performance; it is the humble doing of God’s will, born from love.
Even worse, these leaders blocked others from entering the Kingdom. Instead of leading people to God’s love, they burdened them with human rules. They converted people not to God, but to their own brand of religion. It is a warning for us too: faith is not about winning people to “our side” but bringing them to Christ. The greatest heresy is to think any one group has a monopoly on God.
Finally, Jesus calls out their “science of evasion.” They had built clever systems to dodge the truth, finding loopholes in their oaths and promises. But for the Christian, every word is spoken before God, and every intention is seen by Him. There is no room for technicalities when the heart is dishonest.
This Gospel invites us to remove our masks, to let faith flow from the inside out. It challenges us to be honest in speech, pure in heart, and focused on leading others—not to ourselves or our preferences—but to the living God.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 13:22-30 Is salvation only for a few?
In today’s Gospel, someone asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” It’s a question that has echoed for centuries — a question about numbers, about how many, about “us” and “them.” But Jesus does not answer with statistics. He shifts the focus entirely. He is not interested in a salvation that we imagine as a “ticket” handed to us at the end of life if we have followed the rules well enough. Salvation, for Jesus, is not a distant reward. It is here. It is now. It is an open invitation to enter God’s Kingdom today.
Too often, we imagine salvation as something far away — as if God is keeping a ledger of our good and bad deeds, ready to issue the final verdict when our life ends. But Jesus tells us: the Kingdom of God is already breaking into our world. Salvation is not a prize for the perfect, but a gift for those who open their hearts to Him, here and now. The real question is not “How many will be saved?” but “Do I allow myself to be saved today?”
Jesus speaks of a “narrow gate.” This is not a gate for the proud, the self-sufficient, or the powerful. It is a gate for the small — for those who make themselves humble, who serve rather than dominate, who give rather than accumulate. The narrow gate is the way of the Beatitudes: poverty of spirit, mercy, meekness, hunger for justice. This way is demanding because it asks us to go against the current of selfishness and comfort.
And here is the warning: there are many who stand at the gate but never enter. They are close to Jesus, they have heard His words, perhaps even received the sacraments, but their hearts remain closed to love in action. They say, “Lord, we were with you,” yet they have not allowed His Gospel to change their lives. This is the danger for us — to be Christians in name but not in heart, to practice our faith outwardly without letting it bear fruit in works of mercy and justice.
Jesus shocks His listeners by saying that many who were considered “outsiders” will be inside the banquet of God’s Kingdom, while some who were certain they belonged will find themselves outside. Why? Because love is the true measure. Those who have loved — whether they knew Christ by name or not — have entered by the narrow gate. For “whoever loves is begotten of God and knows God” (1 Jn 4:7).
Dear brothers and sisters, the Gospel is not a comfort zone; it is a call to conversion. The question is not whether few or many will be saved, but whether you and I will say “yes” to Jesus today — whether we will let Him save us by living His way of humility, service, and love. Let us not wait until the end. The door is open now. The time is now. Let us enter through the narrow gate.
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.
使一個領導人變得可信的，不是因為他們指揮得當，而是因為他們服務得體。聖馬希連·國柏（St. Maximilian Kolbe）是方濟各會神父，他是這樣提醒我們的。當他在奧斯威辛（Auschwitz）的時候，他沒有在講道臺上講道，而是用自己的生命與另一人的生命作交換。他的權威不是來自他的名銜，而是來自他犧牲的愛。他如同耶穌一樣，為朋友獻出了生命。
使一个领导人变得可信的，不是因为他们指挥得当，而是因为他们服务得体。圣马希连·国柏（St. Maximilian Kolbe）是方济各会神父，他是这样提醒我们的。当他在奥斯威辛（Auschwitz）的时候，他没有在讲道台上讲道，而是用自己的生命与另一人的生命作交换。他的权威不是来自他的名衔，而是来自他牺牲的爱。他如同耶稣一样，为朋友献出了生命。
全属于祢 
您必须登录才能发表评论。