Today's gospel: 'Whitewash', honesty, and praying for a change of heart





Today, 27 August 2025

It's Wednesday again, and you are invited to join the small group that gathers on Wednesday mornings at 11am in the Clew Bay Hotel, for coffee, friendship and conversation. You're welcome!




Next Wednesday, 2 September, our regular midweek services will reconvene, with Holy Communion at 10.30am in St Mary's Church, Westport, in the side chapel. (St Mary's Church continues to host the Holy Trinity Westport congregation during the temporary closure of HT Church, while we await repairs to the ceiling which are due to begin soon.)

Then in the evening, 2 September at 8pm, you are invited to gather for Online Prayer and Bible Reading, a short meeting of approximately 30 minutes' length, when we pray either Compline or A Late Evening Office. A link will be shared closer to the time, or you can contact us for help or details. 




Today's gospel      Matthew 23:27-32


[Jesus said]  ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.'



    
    'Women at the Tomb'
     Chris Gibbs and Valerie Raitt 
study an Easter Garden in-the-making, Insihbiggle



Comment on the gospel

The term to whitewash, used metaphorically, means to mask unwanted and/or uncomfortable truths, deliberately, to create a more favourable image for a person or party, especially a more favourable public image. Today's gospel reading highlights Jesus' heart on the matter. Jesus exposes this temptation and common practice amongst human beings, to deceive ourselves and others, and in the process to do harm. See today's reflection from Sacred Space:

"In his castigations of the scribes and Pharisees Jesus tries to jolt them out of their blindness to their own hypocrisy and sins. When we look at our world today we see that very little has changed over the centuries in terms of evil deeds and pride and self-seeking. We are all sinners and there is a darkness in the heart of humankind. Jesus told us that it is out of the human heart that evil deeds come.

We pray for our world and for a change of heart and especially for our leaders, both political and religious. And we pray also for God's mercy on ourselves. "

                        (Sacred Space, https://sacredspace.com/daily-prayer/2025-08-27/)


Notices

1) Saturday 30 Aug in Turlough, and Sunday 31 August in Castlebar and Westport (in St Mary’s) 

  • Back to School Services, with Blessing of the Schoolbags and Backpacks


2) Westport Sunday Club (Sunday school) restarts on 7 September, 

kicking off at 12 noon in the church service (in St Mary's which continues to host the Holy Trinity Westport congregation temporarily) and moving next to Carrowbeg House for activities, a Bible story and lesson, music and song, and snacks. 

    

Sunday Club is run in accordance with the Church of Ireland's Child Safeguarding regulations. For information on how to introduce your child please call the rector on 083 800 3233. 



3) Castlebar Select Vestry Meeting, Tues 9 September at 7.30pm


4) Westport-Dugort Select Vestry Meeting, Wed 17 Sept, 8pm 



5) Harvest services in Castlebar and Westport will be on Sunday 14 September:


Guest speaker, Mr Alan Cousins, SAT7

  • 10am in Christ Church Castlebar 
  • 12 noon, for Holy Trinity Westport, in St Mary's Church, South Mall, Westport
  • 3pm in St Thomas's Dugort, Achill

6) Harvest service for Turlough - Sat 20 September.


Guest speaker, Ms Valerie Raitt, Pioneer Ministry, Diocese of Tuam, Limerick & Killaloe 



7) Community event, Castlebar:


Friday 19 September, from 7pm

Christ Church will be one of several the venues for the Margaret Burke Sheridan Trail, sponsored by the Linen Hall and Mayo Co Council. Details online or on request. 




8) Also for the diary: Sat 4 October, Blessing of the Animals, Murrisk Carpark



Correction:

Friday 6 DECEMBER (not Sept)

An Evening with Bella Capella Charity Fundraiser Concert in Christ Church Castlebar






Pastoral care and enquiries:  


Revd Suzanne Cousins  083 800 3233    

Email  aughaval@tuam.anglican.org

Aughaval Parishes' Website   aughaval.tlk.ie












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