Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 / Matthew 23:1-12
The recent scandals in the Church involving the clergy had certainly tarnished the dignity of the priesthood and left it in tatters.
Where once the priesthood was a symbol of moral and spiritual authority, now a long dark shadow is cast over it as the Church struggles to uphold the necessity of the clergy and its sacramental ministry.
Yet the scandals also point out to the lurking danger of succumbing to the abuse of authority and giving in to ulterior motives and vested interests.
But it must also be said that there is nothing new under the sun, and what had happened is a recurrence of what had already happened in the past, although in different forms.
When religious and spiritual leaders abuse their authority, religion will be seen as ugly, and subsequently the scandals will be many.
Even in the gospel, Jesus would point out this danger as He pointed out the how the scribes and Pharisees leaned toward getting attention and status at the expense of the faith of the people.
Yet as the Church and as the people of God, we need to pray for our religious leaders, i.e. the Pope, bishops and priests, that they will always be aware of their divine calling and to serve God and His people and not to serve themselves.
Yes the clergy has to really take heed of the Word of the Lord in the 1st reading: Wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good.
When the clergy heed the Word of the Lord, the People of God will surely follow suit.
Let us continue to pray for the priests and religious, that they will be humble and show us the way of love and service, and bring about healing for the Church.