Wednesday, June 7 (May 25), 2023
Rom. 1:18-27; Mt. 5:20-26   

“Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” [Mt. 5:20].  A typical feature of the Scribes was the knowledge of the Old Testament Law with no concern for living according to the Law; a typical feature of the Pharisees was correct external behavior without much concern for the correct setup of their hearts, its thoughts and attitudes.

Both kinds of moral disposition, that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, are banished from the Kingdom of Heaven.  Let everyone take from here a lesson which he needs the most.  Learn the Gospel ─ but at the same time keep working to establish your life accordingly.  Correct your behavior ─ but at the same time also correct your inner attitudes and thoughts. 

If you have learned something important, do not stop at that point, but go further ahead and find out what this knowledge compels you to, and take proper actions without delay.  In your everyday life, make sure that what you think and feel never trails behind what you are doing; on the contrary, let your actions be always guided by, and exactly correspond to, your thoughts and feelings.  That’s how you will exceed the Scribes and the Pharisees, and the gate of the Kingdom will be open for you.

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