These days we have been listening to some pretty strong words

from Jesus directed specifically at the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

He was all the more severe on them because, as leaders of the people,

they had greater responsibility to live according to God’s heart

and be an inspiration for the people, but they chose otherwise.

We are all redeemed sinners, made holy by the grace of God.

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop & martyr

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Ephesians 1:1-10

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus,

By the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, to you who share Christian faith: receive grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus the Lord.

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, to be holy and without sin in his presence.

 

From eternity he destined us in love to be his adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling his free and generous will.

This goal suited him: that his loving-kindness, which he granted us in his beloved, might  finally receive all glory and praise.

For in Christ we obtain freedom, sealed by his blood, and have the forgiveness of sins.

 

In this appears the greatness of his grace, which he lavished on us.

In all wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us his mysterious design, in accordance with his loving- kindness, in Christ.

In him, and under him God wanted to unite, when the fullness of time had come, everything in heaven and on earth.

 

Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6 The Lord has made known his salvation.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊     

Luke 11:47-54

A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed. So you approve and agree with what your ancestors did. Is it not so? They got rid of the prophets, and you build monuments to them!

 

For that reason the wisdom of God also said: I will send prophets and apostles and these people will kill and persecute some of them. But the present generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will have to answer for them all.

 

A curse is on you, teachers of the law, for you have taken the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering."

As Jesus left that place, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to harass him, asking him endless questions, setting traps to catch him in something he might say.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Use knowledge to uplift others." 

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law, known as religious leaders in the time of Jesus, possessed knowledge which was not easily accessible to ordinary people then. The teachers of the law, for example, were knowledgeable about the Torah and its Teachings. The knowledge and practice of the Teachings guided them in living their life well.

 

The problem was that they neither practiced what they knew nor did they use that knowledge to help make other people's lives better. Today's Gospel continues Jesus' ouai, expressing his grief over the abuse and misuse of knowledge of the Torah by the teachers of the law and Pharisees. Knowledge is power. Power per se is good.

 

But if this particular power is used for self-serving purposes, then this power will surely be corrupted, causing much suffering. Thus, being responsible for the things we know is a great challenge. We are called to use our knowledge to uplift other people's conditions, easing their burdens. Our journey of faith, by this time, must have made us more sensitive to the needs of others and more responsive in helping others to lift up their burdens.