Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
.jpg)
Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel text
Mt 23:13-22
Mt 23:13-22
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."
Gospel's Commentary
Today we see Jesus angry as rarely before. The Pharisees and scribes manage to do the impossible: they frustrate both God and the people! They are the kind who “do not act” and, at the same time, “do not let others act.” They “do not act” on what they themselves say must be done: they set a bad example. And at the same time, they “do not let others act” because they impose many rituals of their own invention that God does not ask for…
—So what does God ask for? “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”