On this 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear Jesus denouncing the scribes and Pharisees and warning His disciples about following their example. As Tony Crescio explains, Jesus’ criticism isn’t so much about the conduct of the scribes and Pharisees as it is about their motivation. At bottom, Jesus is teaching us that we have been made to be glorified by glorifying God, and that the way to do so is enabled by the virtue of humility.
Mass Readings:
Reading 1: Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 131:1, 2, 3
Reading 2: 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
Tony Crescio is the founder of FRESHImage Ministries. He holds an MTS from the University of Notre Dame and is currently a PhD candidate in Christian Theology at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on the intersection between moral and sacramental theology. His dissertation is entitled, Presencing the Divine: Augustine, the Eucharist and the Ethics of Exemplarity.
Tony’s academic publications can be found here.