Catholic Men Chicago Southland - cmcsmen.net

November 5thThirty-First Sunday

in Ordinary Time

Matthew 23:1-12: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110523.cfm

You have but one Father in heaven and one master, the Christ.

Matthew 23:1-12 is a passage in the Bible that speaks about how the religious leaders of Israel preach but do not practice what they preach. The religious leaders of Israel were very proud and had a lot of ego, which was shown by how they talked about themselves and their own accomplishments. They preached about how they were righteous and how they were better than the other people in Israel, but they did not live up to their own standards. The people of Israel were not happy with the way the religious leaders were treating them, and they started to rebel against them.

Pride is a pernicious vice that can easily lead to self-righteousness and a lack of humility. Our divine Lord warned his disciples, and through them all of us, to avoid that pernicious vice of pride. We know that every material and spiritual talent we have has been given us by God, so we must give glory to God for any gifts we possess and not to ourselves. St. Paul reminds us of this fact when he asks us: "What have you that you have not received, and if you have received it why glory in it as if it were your own?" We owe everything we have to God and we should use all the gifts he has given us for his honor and glory, and for that purpose alone.