A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 11:47-54
The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute’
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection: God is love and mercy.
Have we met someone who is difficult to love? Who acts like a know it all, who questions and criticizes everything we do, speaks in an arrogant way, and makes every effort to prove that their way is superior, that only their idea is correct? Then when they make a mistake, they do not acknowledge what went wrong, and are unable to admit that there is a better way? Sound familiar? Frustrating, isn’t it? To experience situations like that.
In the chapters prior to today’s Gospel reading from St. Luke, Jesus had taught the people about holiness, proclaiming the need to repent and change our ways, and the good news of God’s kingdom. He healed the sick, cast away demons, and performed many miracles. Jesus is a model of holiness and their example of loving of God and their neighbor. All great works of God that are holy signs that Jesus was sent by our Heavenly Father.
But, most of the leaders among the Jewish people, the Pharisees, the teachers of the law and the Scribes continued to question Jesus, to ignore what they see and hear, and they continue asking Him for a sign. They only saw him as the son of Joseph the carpenter. In frustration, our Lord Jesus rebuked the unbelieving Jewish leaders for their unbelief. Jesus could see the intentions of their minds and hearts.
The Jewish leaders who chose to question and reject Jesus, were not listening to his message of repentance, of expanding on the message of God’s kingdom on earth and life eternal in His Kingdom in Heaven. They were only concerned about their current position and influence on earth, their status, their riches, they were only thinking of their pride, and not losing their popularity and respect among people.
Do we sometimes catch ourselves in the same trap of only thinking of ourselves and our pride, our influence, or of being right all the time? Have we looked down on others based on where they are from, what schools they attended, criticize what they say, what they do for a living, where they live, what they wear or look like, or the size of their home or their means of transportation? We are all sinners and have offended God and others in one of these ways.
Nevertheless, God continues to love us all, so very much. He knows each and every one of our hearts and minds, who we are, our triumphs and failures, where we have been, and how we can serve Him through one another.
As the Holy Spirit guided all the holy prophets, apostles and disciples to proclaim God’s message of kindness, goodness, mercy and love, may we heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit to acknowledge and follow our Jesus, and share the good news of God’s message of love and mercy to all. Jesus “is” our creator, our Lord and our God. He is our heavenly savior. Jesus is love and mercy.
Action for the Day:
In our prayer time, pray for an increase of faith, for the strength to live lives in humility. Proclaim His Gospel message of love and mercy to everyone we meet.
Audio Reflection:
