The Feast of St Augustine | Monday 28 August 2023

Today is Monday the 28th of August, the feast of St Augustine, in the 21st week of Ordinary time.

The Kyiv Chamber Choir sing the Credo: “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” As I start this prayer today, can I join in with this strong expression of faith? Can I begin by declaring my faith in my God, my creator, my heavenly Father?

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Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 23:13-22

‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.” You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, “Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.” How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

Jesus speaks plainly and vividly to these scribes and Pharisees for setting standards impossibly high; for setting themselves up as a cut above ordinary people, and for their hypocrisy. And in so doing, he tells them, “You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven”. Take a moment to picture that scene of ‘locking out’.

“You do not go in yourselves.” So, it would seem, they have no idea what the kingdom of heaven is like. Or perhaps they do, and the prospect makes them feel profoundly uncomfortable!

What glimpse of the kingdom of heaven is Jesus giving here if the law-enforcing Pharisees don’t go in? Somewhere that welcomes the flawed, perhaps? A place that embraces mistakes? A place of mercy and acceptance?

Let your imagination roam over the kingdom of heaven. Allow the entrance gate to be opened wide by Christ Himself.

As you hear the passage again, notice that Jesus describes no less than three times the fault-finding, nit-picking leaders as “blind”. If this type of leadership is blind, how might a truly seeing leader work? And, by the way, how is my own spiritual eyesight? Are there blind spots in my own life? I could ask God to open my eyes to them.

As this prayer time draws to a close, speak to the Lord who holds all of who you are - including your faults - about what is on your heart.


Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.