Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 468
Reading 1
Galatians 5:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Alleluia
Hebrews 4:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Interior Transformation
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!” Luke 11:37–40
It’s hard to imagine Jesus calling someone a fool. But that’s exactly what He did. This Pharisee had just finished listening to Jesus give a series of teachings and then invited our Lord to His home for dinner in an apparent gesture of kindness. But as the passage unfolds, it’s clear that this Pharisee is no friend of Jesus. Instead, his hospitality and kindness are a cloak for the evil within his soul.
Why does Jesus respond so fiercely, calling the Pharisee a fool? Because this Pharisee is filled with hypocrisy. His exterior actions do not flow from a heart filled with charity and faith. Instead, his exterior actions are a show. He is a fraud. He, like many of the Pharisees, was very concerned with various external rituals, such as scrupulously washing his hands before he ate. He believed that doing so was a sign of his holiness and closeness to God. But it wasn’t. His heart was one that was filled with judgement and self-righteousness. He looked down on others and elevated himself. In doing so, he deceived others and even deceived himself.
The central message we must take from this is that we must diligently focus upon that which is in our hearts. Our hearts, our interior life, must be blooming with love of God and others. We must place all of our efforts on cultivating a sincere life of virtue within. This is done by prayer and humility. Humility will open our eyes to see the truth of who we are. Prayer will strengthen us to change as we see that which needs to be changed within. Only then, when we see clearly the truth of who we are and prayerfully rely upon grace obtained by prayer, will we be able to become people of true integrity and holiness. And only then will our interior holiness be made manifest externally in our actions.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful words of Jesus: “You fools!” Don’t be offended by these words; they are words of love from our Lord. They are His fierce attempt to wake this Pharisee up and lead him away from his hypocrisy. Listen to these words as if they were also spoken to you. Every one of us can humbly benefit from this loving chastisement from Jesus. Every one of us needs to humbly be transformed more fully interiorly. Let Jesus’ words speak to you and reveal to you the ways that you need to change. Perhaps your pride has led you to an interior practice of judgement of others. Perhaps it has blinded you to sins that you need to confess. If you can listen to these words as if they were spoken to you, then Jesus’ fervor will reach you, and your eyes will be opened to that which is in your soul that needs to be changed. Do not turn a blind eye to this. Be open, be humble and listen.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
CLEAN WALLET AND CLEAN HEART
“If you give what you have as alms, all will be wiped clean for you.” –Luke 11:41
The Pharisees were avaricious men (Lk 16:14). The word avaricious means “very greedy.” They loved money and power. They did not love people, however. A leading Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner on a Sabbath, and deliberately placed a man suffering from dropsy “directly in front of” Jesus at the table. Dropsy is a painful, bloated condition in which water is retained in the person’s arms and legs. This seating arrangement was a blatant trap set by the Pharisees to bait Jesus into healing on the Sabbath. After Jesus healed the man, He sent the man home (Lk 14:4), which indicates that the suffering man was not invited to partake of the meal, but was merely a pawn used by the Pharisees to entrap the Lord. Jesus loved the man and healed him; the Pharisees did not care about this man, but only about money and power. On another occasion, the Pharisees led a woman caught in adultery to Jesus (Jn 8:3ff). The Pharisees didn't care if this woman were to be killed, as long as she could be used to trap Jesus and preserve their power. Jesus wanted them to love these suffering people, and not love money.
The Pharisees were enslaved to greed and power. Jesus came to set free those who were enslaved (see Lk 4:18). He loved the Pharisees and offered them an opportunity to be truly free from their slavery to greed (see Gal 5:1). So He told them to give what they had as alms, and all would be wiped clean for them (Lk 11:41). They would have known the value of almsgiving from the archangel Raphael’s admonition to Tobit (see Tb 12:8-10), but they needed to take concrete action. For the Pharisees to give alms meant that they could grow more detached from money and begin caring about the poor to whom they were giving the alms.
What about you? Are you tempted to love your money more than you love the poor? Follow Jesus’ advice. Give alms and be wiped clean (Lk 11:41).
Prayer: Jesus, set me free my attachments so I will love You and love the poor and lowly.
Promise: “It was for liberty that Christ freed us. So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time!” –Gal 5:1
Praise: St. Teresa of Jesus, from Avila, Spain, prayed daily for the coming of the Holy Spirit in her life.
Reflection 3
The Servants of the Word
What Makes the Heart Clean and Holy
Is the Lord Jesus welcomed at your table and are you ready to feast at his table? A Pharisee, after hearing Jesus preach, invited him to dinner, no doubt, because he wanted to hear more from this extraordinary man who spoke the word of God as no one else had done before. It was not unusual for a rabbi to give a teaching over dinner. Jesus, however, did something which offended his host. He did not perform the ceremonial washing of hands before beginning the meal. Did Jesus forget or was he deliberately performing a sign to reveal something to his host? Jesus turned the table on his host by chiding him for uncleanness of heart.
What makes the heart clean and holy?
Which is more important to God - clean hands or a clean mind and heart? Jesus chided the Pharisees for harboring evil thoughts that make us unclean spiritually - such as greed, pride, bitterness, envy, arrogance, and the like. Why does he urge them, and us, to give alms? When we give freely and generously to those in need we express love, compassion, kindness, and mercy. And if the heart is full of love and compassion, then there is no room for envy, greed, bitterness, and the like. Do you allow God's love to transform your heart, mind, and actions toward your neighbor?
Prayers
My fervent Lord, You spoke words of love in many ways. At times You were gentle and at times You were firm. Please give me the grace and humility I need to be open to Your firm rebukes of love. Help me to sincerely see the ways in which I need to change my life so that Your grace will transform my interior life, flowing over into my actions. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, fill me with your love and increase my thirst for holiness. Cleanse my heart of every evil thought and desire and help me to act kindly and justly and to speak charitably with my neighbor.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 288: Silence in the Face of Ridicule
If you are given the glorious gift of a deep faith, many will see this and rejoice in it. But it may be the occasion for some to have jealousy. This is a sad and painful experience. Know that the jealousy of another is not caused by you or by your faith, it is caused by their sin. Therefore, if you experience the jealousy or ridicule of another stemming from their jealousy, do not be alarmed. Certainly it is appropriate to feel holy sorrow over their action, but that sorrow must not turn into a wound. Instead, pay no attention to the mistreatment of another other than this holy sorrow that leads to silent surrender to God. Pray for this person and have great hope that their sin will be realized by them and that they will repent. Your hope, your silent suffering, and your holy sorrow will become an act of Mercy to them allowing them to see the effects of their sin (See Diary #1422).
Accepting the darts of another’s sins can be difficult. Reflect upon how you react when one of these arrows is sent your way. Though it is easy to react with vengeance, your mistreatment by another offers you an opportunity for much grace. Mercy, silence and holy sorrow provide you with the tools you need to help bring conversion to those who mistreat you. This is difficult to do and can only be done when you have fully surrendered to the Mercy of God. God loves you and He loves every sinner with a burning love. Reflect upon that love God has for those who have hurt you and reflect upon the fact that you are in a unique situation to help them experience God’s love. Do not shy away from this duty and the Lord will bless you more than you could ever imagine.
Lord, I pray that Your Mercy floods my heart, especially for those who have hurt me. May I love them with Your Heart and become a source of grace in their lives. I love You, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.
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