HOLD TO THE TRADITIONS…

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3,14-17
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,2 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.
3 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,

14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Matthew 23:23-26

23 “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.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “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.
26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

MEDITATION

PAULS EPISTLE is a refutation in response to false claims that Christs coming was at hand, which caused the thessalonica community to be concerned and perplexed. Paul advise the leaders of the Church to be cautious of questionable correspondence and teachers who purport to represent the Church. Accordingly, Paul remind the leaders to stand firm and hold to the—traditions—teachings and practices that were handed down verbally and or in writing. He also emphasize that Christ shall only return when the son of perdition, Satan the Antichrist, is defeated! 

THE GOSPEL READING: Our Lord excoriate pretentious Pharisees and scribes who make pithy sweet smelling sacrificial offerings, to hide the stench caused by their negligence of not dealing with important ecclesial matters such as; justice,mercy and faith which should be their primary concern! 

Christ accuse these teachers of the law as being hypocritical leaders who focus on the ‘small potatoes’ whilst they neglect interior unconscienable matters that must be expiated. We are called to stop being pretencious sinners, but to hold to both the small “t” and big “T” Traditions; the Rite of exorcism, confession and the Holy Eucharist—supernatural spiritual gifts that cleanse and nourish the soul, bringing us into a state of God’s grace, ready to face Christ on the day of judgement! 

LET US PRAY:Psalms 96:10-13 

10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.