18 March 2025 – Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent
Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Matthew 23:1-12
Homily
It is rare for Jesus to speak with such severity. He who is so merciful in the face of human weakness becomes extremely severe in the face of the exploitation of man by man and in the face of the pride that consists of attributing to oneself titles and honours that are reserved for God.
His usual attitude of mercy, of calling for conversion and promising forgiveness, is very well expressed in the reading from Isaiah where God, through His prophet, promises total forgiveness to anyone who converts, that is to say, stops being self-centred and exercises kindness towards others. It is not enough to stop doing evil; one must also do good, that is to say: seek justice, bring the extortioner to book, do justice to the orphan, defend the widow. He who acts in this way is on the same level as God; then God invites him: ‘Come and let us reason together, says the Lord’. And the discussion is totally favourable to the sinner. Not only are his sins forgiven him; they are erased, they disappear. "If your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow. If they are red as vermilion, they will become like wool.’
As for Jesus, Who was the Son of God and Who lowered Himself to become one of us, He made Himself the servant of all and calls us to make ourselves the servants of one another. He cannot bear those who, in the exercise of a service, use it to put themselves above others and to draw personal glory from it. It is not without humour that He describes the arrogance of the Pharisees and Scribes, who seek the first place everywhere and do everything they can to get noticed by the ornaments of their clothes. He recognises their authority, that is to say the service they are called to render: they ‘occupy the chair of Moses’, He says. He calls on the people to respect this authority, even when they do not live according to their teachings. However, the first and foremost thing He criticises them for is using this authority to oppress the people with laws and overwhelming obligations that have nothing to do with the will of God.
For anyone exercising a position of authority, these words of Jesus remain a stern warning. For all, they remain a call to selfless mutual service in the image of the Son of Man who made himself the servant of all. For all of us, they are also, along with the words of Isaiah, a call to conversion as well as a promise of forgiveness.
Today we commemorate Saint Cyril of Jerusalem.
Armand VEILLEUX