A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 11:47-54
(Glory to you, O Lord!)
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: We were chosen to be holy
For these last five days we hear in the Gospel readings of how our Lord Jesus admonishes the chief priests and elders of the people of Israel… for not being good examples for the people to follow … on how to live daily lives of holiness, as they make laws that put heavy burdens on the people, but they themselves would not do as they did not practice what they preach,… as most of them had chosen to emulate the bad examples of their ancestors… the priests and elders who ruled before them, …who had beaten, stoned and killed the prophets that God had sent to them as His messengers, … refusing to listen to God’s warnings to change their ways.
This is similar to the experience of Teresa of Avila as she had a life-long goal from her youth to live a holy life as she later entered the monastery to be Carmelite nun in the 16th century. However, she noticed over the years that the people around her in the monastery were not being good role models to follow, as they were only choosing to live life as they pleased… without regard to having a life of contemplation, prayer, sacrifice, a life of charity and kindness. The people around her were not seeking to follow Jesus to a life of holiness.
Over time, God worked through St. Teresa… guiding her to dedicate times of deep contemplation and prayer … to help her realize the changes that she needed to make within herself and her prayer life during conversation with God,… as she chose to reconcile with God and learned to focus on the daily presence and gentle prompting of Jesus guiding her … to avoid the distractions of the world around her, …helping her realize that Jesus is “truly always with her”… to help her choose what is true, holy, and beautiful … to live a life of self denial, seeking to avoid the distractions of the world around her, … and to choose not to always put her needs first.
Following the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit, St. Teresa sought for ways to reform the popular monasteries at that time, … as she even faced great opposition from those who refused to change their ways.
Over time, St. Teresa of Avila was permitted to establish new monasteries to lead new disciples to truly follow Christ, and she became a true model of a follower of Jesus. Reforming the order of Carmelite men and women.
Brothers and sisters! We were chosen to be holy, and to seek lives without blemish led by the spirit of our Lord Jesus as shared in the first chapter of the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians. Have quiet conversations with our Lord Jesus to help us avoid the distractions that we face daily that lead to sin. He will lead us on how to serve Him… to what is true, beautiful, and holy.
Action for the Day:
St. Teresa is a great role model of a disciple of God to emulate. She had daily conversations with our Lord Jesus, as she set aside private prayer time in her day, to sit in a quiet place and to imagine the presence of our Lord Jesus in the room and conversed with and built a relationship with our Lord Jesus. Begin our conversations with our Lord by sharing how our day or week is going, with all the joys, problems and challenges. Then ask our Lord Jesus to guide us on how to avoid the distractions that keep us from choosing his ways and serving Him. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your great mercy, … for always being with us wherever we are, wherever we go, and wherever we have chosen to be. Guide us through your spirit on how to lead everyone to follow you.
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