How would you react if Jesus said, “Woe to you”? (Matthew 23:25)

Jesus has some very direct and harsh words for some of the people he meets throughout his public life. In the Gospels, he repeats the phrase “Woe to you” many times to those who desperately need to change their ways, especially the Pharisees who were hypocrites making life harder for ordinary people. Sadly, they didn’t listen.

At one time, Saint Adrian would have deserved to hear those same words. But then he encountered the genius of Christianity. And fortunately, he changed everything about his life.

Adrian was a high-ranking Roman officer in modern-day Turkey, entrusted with enforcing Emperor Galerius Maximian's ruthless persecution of Christians. Outwardly, he appeared as a model of Roman authority and loyalty, upholding the emperor’s decrees. However, beneath this facade lay a doubtful man who had not yet confronted the truth.

His moment of reckoning came when he was tasked with torturing and executing a group of twenty-three Christians. As he witnessed their unwavering faith, Adrian experienced the pangs of inner turmoil. The stark contrast between his way of life and the Christians’ struck him deeply. 

Adrian became a Christian right then and there. Soon after, he openly declared his conversion to Christianity. He would no longer live a life of hypocrisy or violence.

Adrian was then himself brutally tortured by the Roman authorities he had once served. Now it was his faith that was unwavering.

Saint Adrian was killed in 306 AD, as a Christian without pretending to be anything else.

The definition of woe is a condition of deep suffering from distress, misfortune, regret, affliction, or grief. The definition of a hypocrite is a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs and values. 

We have all been guilty of pretending to be something or someone we are not, or something more than who we are, and we know when we are doing it. Today’s difficult teaching is a stern reminder of something we know in our hearts, and that is that these types of behaviors lead to misery and affliction. 

So, what is Jesus saying when he says “Woe to you”? He is simply saying that certain types of behaviors inevitably lead us to a state of woe, an overwhelming misery and distress. He might as well be saying 1 + 1 = 2. 

The good news? Every moment is a chance to change our behavior and turn it all around. As always, the choice is ours.



Feast Day: September 8

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Sergius I and Saint Thomas of Villanova

Patron Saint of: Plagues, Epilepsy, Arms Dealers, Butchers, Guards, Soldiers, and Peacekeeping Missions

Symbols: A Sword, A Lion, and An Anvil