August 25, 2026 // Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Louis of France // Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 23:23-26

Reflect on the Word // 

“You always seem so put together . . . so composed.” I smiled gratefully as the bank teller paid me this genuine compliment in her accented English. She often assisted me when I dropped by to deposit my paychecks but I had no clue I had made an impression on her. As I left the bank, my thoughts dwelt on how even our way of entering a room can effectively evangelize.  

While I certainly have a long way to go in truly letting peace and purpose inform all that I do, I valued this small encouragement. Too often, perfectionism makes me overthink whether or not my conversations and interactions successfully manifest the composure I desire. That’s why praying with today’s Gospel becomes a little uncomfortable. 

Although I prefer to distance myself from Christ’s reprimand to the Scribes and Pharisees, its theme hits home. I might not stand in the disconnect between paying tithes and practicing virtue, but in prayer, Christ addresses the same point to me: my exterior presentation must align with my interior. Being put together is more than appearances, more than simply saying the right thing. It starts with our spiritual lives, and what is noticeable when we walk into a room flows from that. It requires knowing our purpose, unlike the Scribes and Pharisees who miss the point of their tithes and rituals.  They have mastered the simple things, the payments of “mint and dill and cumin” that more easily roll out of their material resources (Matthew 23:23). Yet, growing in “judgment and mercy and fidelity” (Matthew 23:23) is a more intricate matter, requiring deep prayer that purifies our souls.

Today, sister, I invite you to pray with some “uncomfy” questions from today’s Gospel. What dwells within you and me? Christ convicts the Scribes and Pharisees of being “full of plunder and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). What is my plunder and what is my self-indulgence? Let’s invite Christ to cleanse what should not be stored in our hearts and to then increase our discernment, compassion, faithfulness, and all the other virtues that root us in His purpose. 

Relate to the Lord // Do you struggle with perfectionism? Ask Jesus to show you the little ways you please Him simply by being who you are.