22 August 2026 – Saturday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time, even-numbered year
Ezekiel 43:1–7; Matthew 23:1–12
Homily
Dear brothers and sisters,
The first reading, taken from the Book of Ezekiel, conveys to us a very vivid sense of God’s presence. The imagery is vivid and dramatic; but the key element is God’s final declaration: ‘Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I set my feet; it is there that I shall dwell, in the midst of the people of Israel, forever.’ The central element of the spirituality of the people of Israel was this profound sense of God’s presence amongst them and within their history. And this can help us to understand the Gospel passage we have just read.
Jesus’ message is that we have one Father, God, and one Master, Christ. In Christianity, every form of spiritual fatherhood or motherhood is a sharing in this fatherhood of God and his Christ. It is in this sense that Saint Benedict says that the abbot – or abbess – is, within the monastery, the representative of Christ.
In Eastern spiritual traditions, such as Hinduism, the guru passes on his or her own spiritual experience to his or her disciples. In Christianity, the spiritual master or mistress does not share his or her own experience with his or her disciples; he or she passes on the experience and teaching of Christ. The spiritual father or mother does not beget spiritual sons and daughters to himself or herself; he or she begets Christ within his or her disciples.
This is the whole process of spiritual birth and growth; and this is the purpose of monastic life: to allow ourselves to be slowly transformed into the image of Christ. To allow Christ to be born and to grow within us. And this is why we receive the Eucharist.
Armand Veilleux