August 28, Monday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Daily Readings: First reading: 1 1Thessalonians 1: 1–5, 8b–10; Gospel: Matthew 23: 13–22
If a plate full of Neem leaves and chocolate is kept before a child, what will the child choose? Without even thinking, we can answer this question. The child will choose a plate full of chocolates. But if we evaluate it closely, we can say that the wrapper and the shape of the chocolate are very attractive, and it is very tasty.
On the other side, neem leaves are neither attractive nor tasty. It is very bitter. Which is best for the child? It is the neem leaf.
In today’s Gospel, too, Jesus asks them to choose the best between the two. For the Pharisees and scribes, what is important is the gold, not the sanctuary, the gifts, or the altar.
It was the choice that they made that made the difference. Here we can think of a man who chose the right one, which is St. Augustine, whose feast we celebrate. Every saint has a sinful past. But what makes the difference is the final choice they made.
St. Augustine, in his life, made so many choices to follow different paths to pursue the truth. And one final choice he made. That is to follow Jesus. This choice makes him a saint today.
In our lives, too, we need to always make the right choices.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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