St. callistus I, pope & martyr 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Galatians 5:18-25

But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law.

 You know what comes from the flesh: fornication, impurity and shame­lessness, idol worship and sorcery, hatred, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition, division, factions, and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I again say to you what I have already said: those who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy and peace, patience, understanding of others, kind­­ness and fidelity, gentleness and self-control. For such things there is no Law or punishment. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us live in a spiritual way.

 

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 & 6

Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

 

 ＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 11:42-46

A curse is on you, Pharisees; for the Temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and the other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. This ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other. 

A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. A curse is on you for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people don’t notice them and make themselves unclean by stepping on them.”

 Then a teacher of the Law spoke up and said, “Master, when you speak like this, you insult us, too.” And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the Law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves don’t move a finger to help them.

 

Gospel Reflection：

We celebrate today the memorial of St. Callistus, pope and martyr (222+), a Saint who rose from slave to fugitive to imprisonment and hard labor to deacon to pope in the early church. His biographer, St. Hippolytus, was his arch enemy who was also martyred later (235).

The quarrel between these two saints was the Issue of forgiving sinners. St. Cllistus favored greater leniency while St. Hippolytus was afraid that leniency may make sinners take sin too lightly at a time when being Christian meant standing for the Faith in time of persecution.

The position of St. Callistus finds its roots in the Gospel of mercy that Jesus taught. In the Gospel Jesus precisely castigated the Pharisees and lawyers who laid heavy burdens on the people while enjoying privileges and perks. Jesus showed compassion to sinners, a position for which the Pharisees and lawyers took Jesus to task!

Surely , Jesus was not promoting immoral conduct! Like St. Paul, Jesus did not want the litany of sins enumerated by St. paul We say that God hates sin but loves sinners! God desires the “law of the Spirit”- charity, joy peace, patience understanding, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self – control.