Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I’m sure many of us remember the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.
One of the main characters, Gaston, seemed to have everything a person could want – good looks, lots of money, a great singing voice, and plenty of human praise.
All the girls in town thought he was dreamy… Except Belle, the one girl he wanted.
Belle saw right through Gaston’s appearance. Although he was attractive on the outside, he was ugly within. He was self-centered and arrogant.
And so, she was unimpressed.
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Jesus says something similar about the scribes and the Pharisees.
Like Gaston, they wear nice garments, they’re smart, many of them are rich, and they love to be recognized.
But Jesus sees through their appearance. Though attractive on the outside, they’re corrupt within, much like “whitewashed tombs.”
“All of their works are performed to be seen,” he says. They’re not really interested in God.
They’re only out to feed their ego.
If nice religious garments, knowledge of the Law, and public acts of penance don’t impress Jesus, then what will?
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“The greatest among you must be your servant,” he says.
That person is beautiful and praiseworthy in God’s eyes: the humble; the lowly; the kind; the generous.
So, in what ways can we be servants of others today?
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Image credits: (1) AZ Quotes, Martin Luther King, Jr. (2) Gaston LeGume, Beauty and the Beast (3) Cultural Hall
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When God enters a person’s life, it takes dramatic turns, which we often don’t see coming.
Consider the life of Mary. From the second she said “yes” to the Holy Spirit, all of the plans she envisioned for her life changed.
She became an expectant mother. Christ started growing slowly, silently in her womb.
Then her marriage with Joseph was nearly called off. And it would’ve been had he not also said “yes” to the Holy Spirit.
After an angel appears to Joseph, encouraging him to take Mary and her child into his home, he accepts a turn in his own life which he never saw coming – foster fatherhood.
Within a year, the three of them – Mary, Joseph, and Jesus – experience another dramatic turn: the flight into Egypt. King Herod’s bloodthirsty campaign to kill Jesus forces them to flee their home, taking refuge in a foreign land.
Twelve years later, God continues stretching the minds and hearts of Mary and Joseph as Jesus disappears in the Temple for three days. And when they find him, all Jesus has to say is, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
Twenty years later, Mary is found standing at the foot of the Cross – a turn no parent ever wants to take.
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But today we celebrate the final two, splendid turns in Mary’s life. Her assumption into heaven, and by extension her title as “Queen of Heaven.”
Looking back to her days as a young teenage virgin, Mary never could’ve imagined such a title – or glorious reality. But there she sits, enthroned in heaven, interceding on behalf of the Church.
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She reminds us that when God enters our lives, dramatic and unexpected turns take place. Some of them we’d shriek from – like standing at the foot of the Cross; other’s we’d be humbled by, like welcoming the Lord into our heart.
But all of them somehow lead us along winding roads, which end in the same place: the kingdom of God.
May the Blessed Mother intercede on our behalf, that whenever we encounter a bend in the road, we may open our hearts and say “yes” to Jesus.
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Image credits: (1) Modern Age Spirituality (2) Fish Eaters, The Queenship of Mary (3) Santa Maria FourSquare Church
Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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John Stephen Akhwari was chosen to represent Tanzania at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, running the 26-mile marathon. There were 75 competitors from 41 countries. It was a brutal race at a punishing altitude.
Though his chances of winning the marathon were slim, they dropped to zero after he stumbled, smashed his shoulder, dislocated his knee, and was nearly trampled to death by a group of other runners jockeying for position.
After receiving emergency medical treatment, he pushed the doctors away, got up and continued the race.
Almost an hour after a winner was crowned – and nearly every spectator left the stadium – Akhwari stumbled across the finish line.
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When asked why he didn’t quit – even after dislocating his knee, he said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”
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In today’s Gospel, someone asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” It’s something we may have wondered, too. How many people will enter the kingdom of God?
While our first reading from the prophet Isaiah says there will be “many nations,” and the Gospel says that people will come from the, “east, west, north, and south,” Jesus does not give an exact number or percentage.
He only encourages us to, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.”
To “strive” means, “to struggle or to fight vigorously.” It’s a very physical verb implying effort; grit; momentum.
Think of those athletes striving to win first place in that Olympic marathon. John Steven Akhwari was nearly trampled to death because people wanted to win!
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Thankfully, our journey together towards the kingdom of God is not that kind of race. We don’t have to compete with one another; it isn’t a zero-sum game. Everybody can enter the race; everybody can win.
Still, in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that heaven’s entrance is “narrow.”
Imagine if Jesus said, “The gate leading into the kingdom of God is ‘pretty wide,’ let’s say wide enough to fit 7 out of every 10 people.”
Most of us would respond, “Great! That means I’ve got a better than average chance of getting in. So long as I’m living a slightly better life than my neighbor, I should be okay!”
But that’s not what he says. He says it’s, “narrow.”
Why not have a wide, easily accessible entrance?
Why must it be narrow?
When ancient cities had wide gates, enemies could sneak in with large crowds; it was nearly impossible to discern who was coming or going.
Cities with narrow gates admitted people in a single file line, much like airport security today. There was no sneaking in; each person was screened individually and either permitted or denied access.
The same idea applies to God’s kingdom; each person is screened individually as we are held accountable for our actions. God either allows or denies us access.
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The good news is that the door is open.
“After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,” Jesus says, “then you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’”
We should all strive to enter into a relationship with God now, securing a place in his kingdom. If we mosey along at a snail’s pace, expecting the door to be open whenever we decide to show up, then we may find it closed.
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How much effort are we putting into the race? Are we moseying along? Or “striving” to enter through the narrow gate?
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“My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”
Just as John Stephen Akhwari never gave up – in spite of the hardships he faced – so you and I must be like well-trained athletes striving to enter the kingdom of God.
Our vision statement reminds us of this: “We are all generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”
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Image credits: (1) Western Hills Church of Christ – Podbean (2) The Ultimate Display of Determination, YouTube (3) Quora
