“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.”

BADISMISHA's Reflection:

In this Gospel, there is a very harsh, almost violent speech by Jesus. He lashes out at the hypocrisy of those who give more importance to gold than to the temple, to material appearances rather than to the purity of faith. But pay close attention: do not read these words pointing your finger at the "bad guys" of the story.

The truth is that the Pharisees represent each and every one of us. No one is excluded. We are those "blind guides" whenever we prioritize money, ego, and masks, shutting the doors of happiness to ourselves and others.

Let us always remember: faith matters more than gold. You do not need to make grand oaths or fake offerings to show off. As we have said before, you have absolutely nothing to prove to God, because He reads your soul and already knows everything. Be real, not a hypocrite.