Daily Readings - Thu Oct 19 2017

First Reading - Romans 3.21-30

²¹But now, without the law, the justice of God, to which the law and the prophets have testified, has been made manifest²²And the justice of God, through the faith of Jesus Christ, is in all those and over all those who believe in him. For there is no distinction²³For all have sinned and all are in need of the glory of God²⁴We have been justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus²⁵whom God has offered as a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to reveal his justice for the remission of the former offenses²⁶and by the forbearance of God, to reveal his justice in this time, so that he himself might be both the Just One and the Justifier of anyone who is of the faith of Jesus Christ²⁷So then, where is your self-exaltation? It is excluded. Through what law? That of works? No, but rather through the law of faith²⁸For we judge a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law²⁹Is God of the Jews only and not also of the Gentiles? On the contrary, of the Gentiles also³⁰For One is the God who justifies circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith

Gospel - Luke 11.47-54

Luke

Chapter 11

⁴⁷Woe to you, who build the tombs of the prophets, while it is your fathers who killed them⁴⁸Clearly, you are testifying that you consent to the actions of your fathers, because even though they killed them, you build their sepulchers⁴⁹Because of this also, the wisdom of God said: I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, and some of these they will kill or persecute⁵⁰so that the blood of all the Prophets, which has been shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation⁵¹from the blood of Abel, even to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. So I say to you: it will be required of this generation⁵²Woe to you, experts in the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves do not enter, and those who were entering, you would have prohibited.⁵³Then, while he was saying these things to them, the Pharisees and the experts in the law began to insist strongly that he restrain his mouth about many things⁵⁴And waiting to ambush him, they sought something from his mouth that they might seize upon, in order to accuse him

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between grace, faith, and our response to God’s justice. In the first reading from Romans, St. Paul explains that God’s justice is revealed not through the law or works, but through faith in Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are justified by faith, and that no one can boast of their own merits before God. This is a profound reminder that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, not something we earn. In the Gospel, Jesus addresses the Pharisees, criticizing them for honoring the prophets with tombs while rejecting the prophets’ message, including his own. He condemns their hypocrisy and their failure to recognize the justice of God in their midst. Jesus also rebukes them for hindering others from entering the Kingdom of God, highlighting the danger of religious practices that prioritize appearances over true conversion. Together, these readings challenge us to examine our own relationship with God’s justice and grace. In our daily lives, these readings call us to humility and authenticity. Like the Pharisees, we can sometimes focus on outward appearances or religious rituals while neglecting the deeper call to faith and conversion. St. Paul reminds us that true justice comes from God’s grace, not our own efforts. Let us ask ourselves: Do we accept God’s gift of salvation with gratitude and humility? Are we allowing his grace to transform our hearts and actions? May we not hinder others from encountering God’s love, but instead, through our faith and lives, help them to find their way to him.