August 22, 2011
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
"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.” Matthew 23:14-15
Piety
We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction. You know what sort of people we were [among] you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5
Study
How different is the authenticity of the faith and life of the scribes and Pharisees when compared with Mary who we celebrate today. Throughout the Gospels, Mary is depicted as quietly accepting the will of God and enduring the pain of watching her son grow up and suffer his Passion. All these things she kept in her heart, praying quietly. Her conviction is borne out privately.
The scribes and Pharisees put on public displays and erected barriers to the salvation of the people of their congregations. Their conviction is borne out publicly but in a shallow manner. Therefore, we are encouraged to pray to our mother Mary that we may be made worthy of the promises that she held in her heart and those promises that her Son lived out daily.
Action
God knows what sort of people we are. Those are the secrets of our privacy that we hold in our minds as well…secrets that the outside world may never know unless we care to share them overtly through telling our story or in our deeds.
What part of your private thoughts and feelings make you like the Pharisees? What part of your private thoughts and feelings make you like Mary? Consider the steps you can take to allow the aspects of your Mary-side to prevail.
