Saturday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time

Lectio

    Matthew 23:1–12

Meditatio

“They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”

    In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges the attitude of heart of the Pharisees—and us, too. He asks them to look at the motivations behind what they do, and to seek a deeper interior consistency between their beliefs and their actions. Through the prophets, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures consistently teaches the importance of active love and compassion as a requirement for true faith and worship. In the same way, Jesus teaches the importance of loving our neighbors as ourselves as second only to loving God first, above all else. As Saint John reminds us, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn 4:20).

    It takes little effort to find people who need our kindness and compassion. Usually, we have no farther to look than our own homes and workplaces! Yet isn’t it true that sometimes it is far easier to love the God we don’t see than to love the neighbor we do? In these moments the challenge to love becomes concrete, and we come to recognize just how deeply we need God’s grace to transform our hearts and lives. Our challenges in living for and with others become the sacramental moments that drive us toward true conversion of heart in Christ. Jesus calls us beyond indifference to a love that shares in the joys, burdens, and sorrows of others. Like Christ, we are called to be attentive, lightening the load of our brothers and sisters through our kindness and love. Sometimes, we can offer only our sincere prayers. Nonetheless, it may be important to ask ourselves, “Is my prayer so sincere that I would be willing to be a part of God’s concrete answer to my prayers?” Ultimately, our belief in God has to go beyond external words and be grounded in a deep faith that leads to a readiness to act for the sake of others.

Oratio

    Jesus, you are the true Master whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. You give rest to our souls. I place myself under your yoke, asking you to teach me to walk in your ways. Teach me how to love, and how to cultivate a sincere desire to walk with those who are in need of your tender compassion. May my presence make you present—an offering of your tranquillity and rest in a restless, hurting world.

Contemplatio

    “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

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ORDINARY GRACE Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections (By the Daughters of St. Paul)