October 14
Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intention
7:45 AM - Jacqueline Ross / Vetter Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Romans 3:21-30
Brothers and sisters: Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God– to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 130:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Gospel Acclamation
John 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 11:47-54
The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
“With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.”
Reflection
One of the biggest things we can recognize in our faith lives is that we are basically sinful creatures. Certainly, we try to do the best we can, but Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Romans; “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.” What he is telling us is that God is totally sinless, and that any sin we might have on our hearts and minds is something that causes God pain. Paul goes on to say that we are justified freely by God’s grace. This is the one way that God can ease the pain He feels at seeing our sins. Not only does He ease his pain, but he also assures us of a home in heaven if we choose to accept His grace.
We see in the Gospel that there is a group of people who have decided not to accept the grace of God. That group is the Pharisees. Their main responsibility is to help their followers to get to heaven. They not only tell them the wrong things, but they block them from hearing the right things about faith and love and patience. The last thing they would tell their followers is that God’s grace is available to them.
What we need to understand is that our sinfulness does not have to end in our losing eternal life in heaven with God. If we trust him and learn to be less sinful through our prayers and our acts of kindness, we can avoid the separation from God that the Pharisees are headed towards in eternal life. It is an important thing to consider.
Keep the faith,
Deacon Dare
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