Matthew 23:14
Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For this you shall receive the greater judgment.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Væ vobis scribæ et pharisæi hypocritæ, quia comeditis domos viduarum, orationes longas orantes ! propter hoc amplius accipietis judicium.
- Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)
- The woe about devouring widows' houses is not in the critical Greek text of Matthew; SBLGNT skips from 23:13 to 23:15 (the saying stands in Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47).
Haydock's commentary
You devour the houses of widows. Here our blessed Saviour severely reprehends the hypocrisy and other vices of the Scribes and Pharisees, a little before his death, to make them enter into themselves, and to hinder them from seducing others. (Witham)
The Pharisees, by every means in their power, endeavoured to persuade the widows of the poor to make vows or offerings for the temple, by which they themselves became rich, and thus they devoured the houses of widows. (Nicholas of Lyra.)
Whoever is a perpetrator of evil, deserves heavy chastisements; but the man who commits wickedness under the cloak of religion, is deserving of still more severe punishment. (Origen)
The same is said of fasting, alms, prayers. (Matthew vi.)
As above our Lord had inculcated eight beatitudes, so here he denounces eight woes or threats of impending judgment, to the Scribes and Pharisees, for their vile hypocrisy. (Jansenius)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom Catena Aurea
Next the Lord rebukes them for their g1uttony, and what was the worst, that not from the rich but from widows they took wherewith to fill their bellies, thus burdening the poverty of those whom they should have relieved.
Gloss Catena Aurea
interlin.: "Devour widows" houses," that is, your superstitions have this only aim, namely, to make a gain of the people that are put under you.
Pseudo-Chrysostom Catena Aurea
The female sex is imprudent, as not contemplating with reason all that it sees or hears; and weak, as being easily turned either from bad to good, or from good to bad. The male sex is more prudent and hardy. And therefore pretenders to holiness practise most upon women, who are unable to see their hypocrisy, and are easily inclined to love them on the ground of religion. But widows they chiefly choose to attempt; first, because a woman who has her husband to advise her is not so readily deceived; and secondly, she has not the means of giving, being in the power of her husband. The Lord then, whilst He confounds the Jewish Priests, instructs the Christian that they should not frequent widows rather than others, for though their purpose may not be bad, it gives occasion to suspicions.
St John Chrysostom Catena Aurea
The manner of this plundering is grievous, for they make long prayers. Every one who does evil deserves punishment; but be who takes occasion for his offence from religion, deserves more severe punishment; "Therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
Pseudo-Chrysostom Catena Aurea
First, for that ye are wicked, and then because ye put on the cloak of sanctity. Your covetousness you dress up in the colour of religion, and use God's arms in the Devil's service, that iniquity may be loved while it is thought to be piety.
St Hilary of Poitiers Catena Aurea
Or, because their observance of the kingdom of heaven proceeds hence, that they may keep up their practice of going about to widows" houses, they shall therefore receive the heavier judgment, as having their own sin and the ignorance of others to answer for.
Gloss Catena Aurea
interlin.: Or, because "the servant that knew his Lords will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes." [Luke 12:47]
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Homily XXXII on Rom. xvi. 17, 18
Again an exhortation, and prayer after the exhortation. For after telling them to “mark them which cause divisions,” and not to listen to them, he proceeds, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly:” and, “The grace of our Lord be with you.” And notice how gently too he exhorts them: doing it not in the character of a counsellor, but that of a servant, and with much respect. For he calls them brethren, and supplicates them likewise. For, “I beseech you, brethren,” (he says). Then he also puts them on the defensive by showing the deceitfulness of those who abused them. …
The Fathers are given as they wrote. Where a passage lays the Passion on the Jewish people, the Church teaches that it cannot be charged against all the Jews then living, nor against the Jews of today, and that all sinners were its authors (CCC 597, 598).