Daily Readings - Thu Oct 16 2025
Romans
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
Luke
47"Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them.48So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.49Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.'50Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.52"Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."53When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions,54waiting to catch him in something he might say.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between faith, justice, and hypocrisy. In the first reading from Romans, St. Paul explains that God’s justice is revealed not through the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that all people—Jews and Gentiles alike—have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but we are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption found in Christ. Paul makes it clear that this justification comes not through works of the law but through faith, and he challenges us to humility, recognizing that salvation is a gift, not something we can earn.
In the Gospel, Jesus addresses the Pharisees, criticizing their hypocrisy. While they honor the prophets by building tombs, they fail to live according to the prophets’ teachings. Jesus points out that they are complicit in the sins of their ancestors, who persecuted and killed the prophets. He also condemns their legalism, accusing them of taking away the key of knowledge and preventing others from entering the Kingdom of God. This passage serves as a warning against outward religiosity that lacks inner conversion and genuine faith.
Together, these readings remind us that true faith is not about outward appearances or following rules, but about a deep, interior transformation. We are called to live with integrity, aligning our actions with our beliefs, and avoiding the hypocrisy of honoring God with our lips while neglecting to follow Him with our hearts. Let us examine our own lives today: Are we living as true disciples of Christ, or are we content with superficial religiosity? May we turn to God with humble and sincere hearts, trusting in His grace and striving to live in a way that reflects the justice and love He has revealed to us.