Daily Readings - Thu Oct 19 2017
Romans
21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,30since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Luke
47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.48So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.52Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering."53As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,54lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
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.