Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 26, 2024
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.”
In the gospel today, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for their insistence on superficial distinctions that don’t really connect them with the heart of God. What is the antidote? When we center our hearts and minds on our relationship to God, everything else falls into place. We do not need to worry about what we should swear on or who can enter the kingdom of heaven.
But continually centering ourselves on God is easier said than done. I need help with this challenge. I will have multiple good moments, times when I can ignore distractions and feel connected to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, when I am praising God and thankful for what is happening in my life. And even in some tough moments when things are not going so well, I remember to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, strength, or energy. “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Then, there are other times, when I am more caught up in the circumstances of the moment, feeling less connected with God and more connected to my inner monologue, that I go about my life as if I am in full control in no need of help. Reflecting on those times, I usually realize that I did not invite God to be present in my heart and mind in those moments.
It is a constant struggle. Sometimes, I take one step forward and two steps back. How can I prepare my heart, mind, and soul for heaven if I struggle? How can I hope to be counted among the saints and God’s closest disciples? The verse, “Nothing is impossible with God,” gives me hope and allows me to trust. If we remain faithful, I know God will get all of us there. This invitation to trust is a huge relief because we don’t have to figure out all the details or make a map of our faith journey. God will handle all of that.
Prayer
Lord, although you call on our leaders, like you call on all of us, to practice what we preach and believe, never let us use the failings and transgressions of our leaders as an excuse to slack in our own following of your Son, so that in remaining faithful to his teachings, we may follow him home to heaven. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Our Lady of Czestochowa is an image of Mary located in Poland. The icon is also known as the Black Madonna because the image has darkened from the soot of so many votive candles burning near it. Czestochowa is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Poland—many people visit the shrine to venerate Mary in this icon.
Tradition holds that the icon was painted by St. Luke upon wood that had been part of the table in the home of the Holy Family. It is said that the image was kept in royal palaces in Constantinople and Ukraine after St. Helen found it in Jerusalem. It came to Czestochowa in 1382 by way of a nobleman who was escaping an attack in Ukraine—he stopped to rest in the town and entrusted it to a monastery there.
In 1430, robbers looted the monastery and stole the image. In trying to remove precious stones from the icon, they smashed the wood and made slashes in the paint. When the icon was restored, the artists retained the slashes that were made on Mary’s face.
In the image, Mary’s hand points to Jesus, as she did with her whole life. Jesus holds a book of the Gospels in one hand and extends the other to the viewer in a blessing.
The image is associated with a miracle that marked a turning point in a war between Poland and Sweden in 1655. Monks and other people in the monastery were severely outnumbered by the invading Swedish forces but managed to repel the attackers with the miraculous intervention of Mary.
The image also played a large role in the devotional life of the young St. Maximilian Kolbe; he experienced a moment of conversion as a boy when he was praying in front of this image, and the experience shaped the rest of his life.
A replica of the Our Lady of Czestochowa image stands in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and it faithfully reproduces even the slash marks on Mary’s face. The image was a gift to Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C., founder of Notre Dame, from the Polish Carmelite Sisters in the Shrine of St. Bridget in Rome. The sisters gave it to Father Sorin, who was superior general of the Congregation of Holy Cross at the time, “as a sign of perpetual friendship.”
Personalize and share a prayer card with this image of Our Lady of Czestochowa at our prayer card page.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, you are captured in the miraculous image of Mary venerated by Polish people--pray for us!