St. Monica
Readings:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3,14-17
Matthew 23:23-26
Reflection:
St Paul’s message in Second Thessalonians 2 is one of hope and reassurance. Throughout most of Church history there have been movements proclaiming the imminent second coming of Christ, the ‘millenium’ (hence ‘millenarian movements’), usually accompanied by extreme language and often by violence. Paul advises the Thessalonians not to pay any heed to such talk: they have all they need in the Gospel they have received, with ‘inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope’. It is a reminder to us as well: whatever course the history of our world takes, Jesus ‘is always with us’ even to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Psalm 95 reinforces the reassuring proclamation of God’s justice and steadfastness. Let us rejoice that the loving providence of the Father of Jesus Christ has created our world and ourselves and will bring all to fullness in his Kingdom: ‘Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad!’ The Gospel, from Matthew 23, is a warning against religious hypocrisy. In its specific original context, this warning reflects the tension between the Matthean Christian community and the Pharisees. In our context, after the Holocaust and with respectful recognition of the role the Pharisees played in preserving and passing on the treasure of Jewish religious heritage, our awareness of hypocrisy must apply in the first place to ourselves: do we really put the commandment to love God and neighbour above all else, or are we tempted to idolize what is not divine or made in the divine image?
Robert Gascoigne is a parishioner at St Brigid’s, Marrickville. He is a theologian who taught for many years at the Australian Catholic University.