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Gospel Reading for August 22, 2026 – Matthew 23: 1-12
WASTING OUR TIME
Memorial of the Queenship ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary
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 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 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. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
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Sometimes, the messenger of the Good News is not good. Sometimes, we find people preaching the Gospel but not living what they preach. Should that be a reason for us to reject the Good News?
We must always remember that the messenger is not the Good News. The One who is important is the source of the Good News—Jesus himself.
Many Catholics leave the Church because they find the messenger unworthy. But the truth is, no messenger is completely worthy, wherever we may go. What is most important is that we follow the teachings of Jesus, not the imperfections of those who proclaim them.
If we are like the scribes and Pharisees, intentionally trying to make people believe that we are good when we are not, then we are only WASTING OUR TIME. What do we gain from living a farce? We may be able to convince other people, but we will never be able to convince ourselves that we are truly good. Worse, God sees what is in our hearts and minds. We can never fool him.
Mary, our Queen, teach us to be humble servants of Christ, as you were. Amen.
