St Augustine of Hippo (354 –430) was born in the municipium of Thagaste in Roman Africa. His mother, Monica, was a devout Christian; his father Patricius was converted to Christianity on his deathbed. St Augustine was a theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and philosophy. His most important works are The City of God and Confessions

 

First Reading: (2 Thess 2:1-3, 14-17)

Concern­ing the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purport­ing to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawless­ness is revealed, the son of perdition. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the tra­ditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

 

Ps 95:10-13

R./ The Lord comes to rule the earth.

 

Gospel: (Mt 23:23-26)

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, with­out neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”

 

Reflection:

An important subject of this “heart-gripping” incident is the aspect of Conscience. Conscience is the inner guide to determine the right from wrong. The Church teaches: “Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience speaks to his heart: do this, shun that.” The formation of the Conscience - a lifelong task - has the Word of God as the light for its path! In the Gospel, we encounter King Herod, who failed to give heed to the Word of God, prophetically spoken by John the Baptist. The Word of God was directly addressed to him. But he chose to reject it. As a result, his conscience became subdued and the voice of his own personal desires grew louder in the depths of his heart! This incident reminds us to take some practical resolutions like making a daily examination of conscience, reading the Word of God, strengthening our sacramental life and spending more time in personal prayer in order to strengthen our conscience and live a courageous life like St John the Baptist.