Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 469
Reading 1
Galatians 5:18-25
Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Alleluia
John 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 11:42-46
The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
A Pricked Conscience
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.” Luke 11:45–46
This scholar of the law had been listening to Jesus firmly rebuke the Pharisees. As he listened, his own conscience was pricked, and he challenged our Lord. What does Jesus do? He quickly and firmly rebukes the scholar of the law, pointing out that the scholar uses the law to impose heavy burdens on people. Jesus did not back down in this rebuke of love. Instead, He directed it to the very place that His rebuke was bearing fruit: in the conscience of this scholar of the law.
This experience of the scholar of the law teaches us two important lessons. First, we learn from him the importance of paying attention to our conscience when it is “pricked.” Second, it teaches us that when this happens, it is very easy to become defensive.
What is it that pricks your own conscience? Think back over the past month and reflect upon anything that you became defensive about. Did something someone said bother you? If so, pay attention to this. Sometimes we are bothered for reasons other than our own sin. But oftentimes, what actually bothers us is that we come face-to-face with some sin with which we struggle, and we do not want to admit it.
What if this scholar of the law would have listened to Jesus and, instead of being offended, became grateful for Jesus’ words? What if he would have humbly looked at his own life and realized that he was also guilty of the very things that Jesus was condemning the Pharisees for? If he would have done that, he would have been put in a position to sincerely examine his actions and begin a process of change. But this is hard to do.
Reflect, today, upon anything that has recently offended you. Be honest and admit that it is often the case that when God presents you with your sin through some means such as the loving rebuke of another, you must work diligently to overcome any pride. And when you feel defensive, you must immediately see that as an indication that there is something in your life that you need to change. A pricked conscience is a gift from God. Rejoice when that happens, rather than being offended, and you will discover one of the best ways by which you can grow in holiness of life by becoming free of the very sin our Lord is presenting to you.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
THE DIFFICULT SCRIPTURE VERSE
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s lead.” —Galatians 5:25
Sometimes you will find that most of the verses of the Scripture passages for Mass each day are acceptable even to pagans, secular humanists, and fallen-away Catholics. For example, in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and tells the Bible lawyers not to burden people without helping them (Lk 11:43-46). Many anti-Christians certainly agree with Jesus on these two points. In today’s reading from Galatians, the fruit of the Spirit is described as love, joy, and peace (Gal 5:22). Almost everyone believes in love, joy, and peace, although they may define these words differently than Christians do. However, many non-Christians and even some Christians rabidly reject “something” in the daily Scripture readings. If we obey the Lord in these difficult passages, then we are truly following the Spirit’s lead (Gal 5:25).
For most Christians, the difficult Scripture verse for today is Galatians 5:24: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.” The Lord commands us to accept His grace so we will have crucified flesh, crucified passions, and crucified desires. Although some people believe in toning down the flesh and not following every whim (see Eph 2:3), the idea of “crucified flesh” smacks of extremism and fanaticism to those programmed by our secular humanistic “culture of death.” Here’s where the real Christians stand up. Obey even the difficult verses, live by the Spirit, and follow the Spirit’s lead. Obey Galatians 5:24 and 5:25.
Prayer: Father, send the Spirit to convict the world about sin (Jn 16:8) and to crucify me to the world (Gal 6:14).
Promise: “In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.” —Gal 5:22-23
Praise: St. Hedwig remained faithful to her husband even though she suffered much from his quarrelsomeness.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
Jesus’ woes to the Pharisees and Scribes are ways of condemning four types of religious behaviours that are not in line with the spirit of Jesus’ teaching: a) Misplaced emphasis: There are essentials and accidentals in our life. Religious authorities were emphasizing the accidentals more than the essentials of spiritual life. b) Attachment to power and respect than desire to serve: the pharisees sought places of honour and respect from people. c) Hypocritical behaviour at the cost of integrity of life: Jesus compares them with white-washed tombs which appear so beautiful but are filled with all sorts of filth. d) Lip service rather than service mindedness: Religious authorities burdened people with lots of rules and regulations. They hardly did any service to lighten their burdens. For which of our behaviour will the Lord condemn us?
Prayers
My challenging Lord, You are constantly speaking to me in various ways. Sometimes You are gentle, and at other times You lovingly rebuke me. Please help me to see my sin. As I do, I pray that I will not become defensive or dismissive, rationalizing my erroneous actions. May I learn to rejoice in all that You say to me, especially when You speak Your rebukes of love. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love that I may always pursue what matters most - love of you, my Lord and my God, and love of my fellow neighbour whom you have made in your own image and likeness. Free my heart from selfish desires that I may only have room for kindness, mercy, and goodness toward every person I know and meet.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 289: The Desire for Souls
When you look at the desire in your heart, what stands out the most? Certainly there are many things that draw you. Many worldly rewards and pleasures can easily occupy your longings. A desire for physical pleasure, money and worldly success are among the strongest desires for many. The single desire you should have is a desire to Love God. From that desire you will also love others and you will find that your love of God is fulfilled by a deep longing to bring other souls to God’s Mercy. Do you desire this? Do you long to help others experience the tender Heart of our Lord, to know His compassion and to experience His Mercy? If you have completely given yourself to the love of God then God will accept you and send you forth as His missionary of Mercy, searching for souls who are hungry for His love. Allow yourself to be consumed with this passion and the Lord will use you in marvelous ways (See Diary #1426).
Reflect upon the desires of your heart this day. Do not be afraid to admit to what is there. Whatever you see you must confront and place in the hands of God. His Mercy must become a consuming fire in your soul, burning away all that is not of Him. When this happens, you will find a new desire placed in your heart by God. It will be a desire for the salvation of many souls. Let yourself receive this desire from our Lord and allow this desire to direct you in the Lord’s work of Divine Mercy.
Lord, I burn with a desire for many things. Most of them I must humbly admit are not from You. Please purify my heart, dear Lord, and make me holy. Help me to love You with a perfect passion and from that love may I have a great desire for the souls of others. I love You, dear Lord, please increase that love. Jesus, I trust in You.
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