Leave-taking of the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration; Our Venerable Father Maximus the Confessor (662)
Dormition Fast.
Read
1 Corinthians 15:29-38; Matthew 21:23-27
The chief priests and elders confront Jesus in today’s Gospel because it was their responsibility to manage the affairs of the temple. They fear Him for His challenging of the status quo in favour of a greater and deeper relationship with God. The chief priests did not reject the idea of a greater and deeper relationship with God, but they believed that it was only through strict observance of the law that this relationship was possible. Jesus, while not rejecting the law, points to a deeper reality.
All of us belong to a parish community which has, most likely, existed for many years. There exists a status quo in every parish and in every parish there is a desire for something deeper and more meaningful than the status quo. The future of our parish communities and the life of our entire Church depends on preaching the eternal and unchangeable Word of God in a new way that embraces new methods or models while rejecting all forms of relativism. We must enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ so that we can point others towards a new life in Christ.