Monday August 28, 2017
For the next days, we hear the famous “Woes” that Jesus pronounced. Matthew presents eight of them, as if paralleling the eight “Beatitudes” or blessings that Jesus had proclaimed earlier (Matt 5: 3-12). They are indeed burdensome woes, made heavier by the fact that they are pronounced by Jesus who rarely quarrels or cries out (Matt 12:19; Is 42:2) and is gentle and humble of heart (Matt 11:29). Jesus came to bless and, if he is forced to condemn, there can be no greater woe for a person.
In today’s reading, Jesus’s sadness and anger blaze against people who not only refuse to enter the Kingdom, but prevent others from entering it either. It is bad enough to reject the good news; and it cannot get any worse when one deliberately prevents others from accepting the Gospel: even when they want to. Let us examine our hearts and see if our words and deeds prevent God’s people from receiving the good news and entering the Kingdom.
