Blind Guides
Monday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 23:13-22 - Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
There is a lesson that we need to learn from Christ: how to have enemies! Certainly, this is never Jesus’ goal. He dearly loves everyone, and He wants all people to be with Him. And certainly, in an even more impactful way, Jesus teaches us to have dear, true friends. But Jesus is not afraid to have enemies. We must remember, Jesus doesn’t make enemies, they make themselves enemies of Jesus. They turn from Him; He doesn’t turn from them. But once they turn away from Jesus and the ways of God, Jesus goes on the attack.
Jesus is bold. He deals with the Faith very seriously. For Him, the Faith is more important than our reputation, our security, our comfort, our friendships, even our families. The Pharisees and scribes, the “blind fools” of the Gospel, are leading people astray in their faith. Jesus confronts them boldly, clearly, and at the risk of great danger. (This happens to be the week before He dies in Jerusalem. Do you see any connection?) We have to be bold in standing up for our Faith in our own lives, and with the people around us: in the workplace, at school, the political sphere, maybe even in our own family. If we’re to be like Jesus, we have to be bold. In prayer consider: where do I need to be bold for the sake of the Faith?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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