24/08/2026
Fr. Mike's Daily Homily
Tuesday – Week 21
August 25, 2026
Mt 23:23-26
Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cu**in, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. [But] these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.
The Gospel today is the continuation of the accusations of Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees. It contains the fourth and fifth ‘woes’.
The fourth ‘woe’ is a condemnation of those who are meticulous of tiny details, while neglecting the more important matters: “You pay tithes of mint and dill and cu**in, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity.”
According to the Mosaic Law, agricultural products are subject to tax or levy. But there are some rabbis who apply the law even to the most insignificant of plants, such as “mint and dill and cu**in”. Jesus is not against tithing. But to levy even such tiny and insignificant plants is undoubtedly the work of an scrupulous mind.
What Jesus rejects is the hypocrisy hiding behind this display of false zeal. The scribes and Pharisees strictly enforce even the smallest detail of ritual or doctrine, for this gives them many opportunities to find fault with those who cannot fulfill them or those who overlook such insignificant details. They do not realize that “counting other people’s sins does not make you a saint.” That according to a Punjabi poet, Hussein Nishah. Jesus is not against a conscientious carrying out of rules and regulations but it is the attitude of hypocritical moral superiority which He condemns. In being so careful of such minor matters, they consciously overlook and ignore the fundamental issues of justice, mercy and faith.
This can be true to some of us. There are times when a ‘religious’ parishioner comes to me and asks if they can receive Holy Communion because their one-hour eucharistic fast is ten minutes short. I just wonder if this person asks himself: Is the salary I am giving to my ‘kasambahay’ or driver enough, or short by forty or fifty percent? Is the food of my pet dogs more nutritious than the food I give to my maid?
The fifth ‘woe’ is a condemnation of those who concentrate on the tiniest details of external behavior while totally ignoring the inner spirit: “You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.” The ritual washing of plates and utensils for dining is turned into a metaphor of giving too much importance on outward appearances while altogether ignoring inner purity.
This is warning against externalism, or the excessive regard for outward form in religion, at the expense of the inner spirit. The operative word here is ‘excessive’. There is nothing wrong with giving enough attention and care for the rituals and rubrics in liturgical celebrations. After all, liturgy is public worship focused on God. What is harmful is when it becomes excessive, obviously trying to grab the focus to oneself and not on God. Then it becomes a performance or entertainment show, rather than liturgical worship.
There is nothing wrong with external observance of the law, for they have to be observed nonetheless. What is bad is when the observance is devoid of the spirit of humility, compassion and justice. A classic example of this are the many traffic enforcers in the city. They watch out for any minor violation, not really to help ease traffic flow or to ensure road safety, but to have an opportunity to extort money from the unlucky motorists.
Today the Lord gives us these two warnings: against being petty-minded, concerned only with the small details while disregarding the more important matters, and against externalism devoid of the true inner spirit of the law. Behind these Pharisaic traits is definitely pride.
The only way to avoid these sins is to remain humble, always conscious of our sinfulness and the need for God’s mercy. The Church, after all, they say, is a “hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints.” When we are tempted to judge and condemn others, may the words of St. Francis de Sales be our guiding principle: “Better make penitents by gentleness than hypocrites by severity.” Being too strict with the enforcement of the rules to the smallest detail will only produce hypocrites. On the other hand, gentle persuasion and kindness may bring more people to true repentance and conversion.
Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Jesus, Lord of Divine Mercy Parish
Mapayapa Village 1, Bgy. Pasong Tamo
Quezon City 1107
