2 Thess 3:6-10, 16-18 / Matthew 23:27-32
In life, we are exposed to many external influences.
We are shaped and formed by what we read, from what we hear and from what we see.
And we are also influenced by the people around us.
So if the people around us live good and upright lives, then we tend to live likewise.
But if the people around us are bad examples of life, then we may tend to be like them.
In other words, proximity leads to conformity.
In the first reading, St. Paul urged the Thessalonians to keep away from those who refuse to work or live according to the Christian teachings.
He even goes on to say that who refuse to do any work should not be given any food.
Those people are bad examples of Christian living and so it is better to keep away from them so as not to follow their bad examples.
Because the danger is that it is easier to copy bad examples than to live virtuous and holy lives.
In the gospel, Jesus warns against hypocrisy, which is the act of pretending to have moral standards, beliefs, or virtues.
The truth is that hypocrisy will eventually be exposed and then others will avoid and stay away from us.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
When we follow Jesus and be faithful to His teachings, we will grow in holiness and be witnesses to Jesus for others to follow.