Stay Awake

Jesus said to his disciples: Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of the night that the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is the servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all of his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Consideration: The Lord, Jesus, is giving us warning to be on guard always while waiting for his arrival. We must be prudent in continuing doing the will of God. To give to our Father the honor he deserves from his children, is to conduct our lives with integrity; always being fair and honest with others. Treat everyone with love and compassion; knowing that when the Lord returns, he will be truly pleased with us. Amen.

Hypocrisy and Evildoing

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but the 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 the shedding of 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!"

Consideration: Once again, Jesus, calls out the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. He equates them to whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but the inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.

Lord, Jesus, grant us the grace of realism, that we may conduct our lives with honesty and integrity. Let the light within our hearts be a visible sign to those in our families, and the people we encounter on a daily basis; never to live as the hypocrites in our midst. Amen.

Blind Guides

Jesus said: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay with tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgement and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of cup, so that the outside also may be clean."

Consideration: We are not to act as the hypocrites in our midst. If we wish to shine with joy and happiness on the exterior, we must be cleansed on the interior as well. When the body, mind, heart, and soul are healthy; the outward appearance will be radiant. Maybe those with this tendency of hypocrisy will see the joy that we possess and seek to unite it into their daily lives as well. Amen.

You Hypocrites

Jesus said to the crowds and to the 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 to 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 alter, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the alter, one is obligated.' You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the alter that makes the gift sacred? 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." 

Consideration: No person on earth called out hypocrisy like Jesus did. This is one of the main reasons that falsehoods are allowed to simmer; and, in time, burst into flames to cause much damage.

Lord, Jesus, we praise you and give you thanks for teaching us that we must call out unrighteousness, lies, and falsehoods of all kinds, immediately, and with conviction, before it has time to cause untold damage and corruption. We pray for the courage to follow your lead always no matter how difficult it is. Amen.

To Him Be Glory Forever

Oh, the depth of riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his Judgements and unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? From him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Consideration: Who is like God? Take a deep breath; and place yourself in His presence. The heavens; the earth, the cosmos; humanity; wisdom; life; love; mercy...Who is like God!!!

The Chair of Moses

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things they whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on the people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whosoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Consideration: Jesus is very clear to his disciples regarding the pride and hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. He tells his disciples that they are brothers, and he, the Christ, is their master. He tells them to stay humble, and to serve others with sincerity, without seeking praise for their actions.

These guidelines apply to us today; serve others with kindness, compassion, and love. In doing so with humility, we continue the works of the disciples here on earth, for the glory of God. Amen.

The Greatest Commandment

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Consideration: Not only do the prophets depend on these two commandments, but all of mankind as well. We see that the world we live in is conflict with everything contained in these two commandments. If only we could find a way to exist together in peace; put aside the pride within us, and with humility, love as the Lord loves us. All things are possible for those who love God. If we loved God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we could move mountains; and certainly, we could love our neighbor and bring peace to a peaceless world. Amen.