Wednesday 10/14/2020 Live Stream Mass at St. Monica Catholic Church

Thank you for joining the St. Monica’s Live Stream Mass for Wednesday 10/14/2020

Readings for Wednesday 10/14/2020

Reading 1

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

PS 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

JN 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 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.”

Woe to You!

Gospel Reflection for Wednesday 10.14.2020

“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.” Luke 11:44-46

What an interesting and somewhat surprising exchange between Jesus and this scholar of the law. Here, Jesus is severely chastising the Pharisees and one of the scholars of the law tries to correct Jesus for being offensive. And what does Jesus do? He doesn’t back down or apologize for offending him; rather, He turns His severe rebuke to the scholar of the law. That must have surprised him!

What’s interesting is that the scholar of the law points out that Jesus is “insulting” them. And he points it out as if Jesus were committing a sin and in need of a rebuke. So was Jesus insulting the Pharisees and scholar of the law? Yes, He probably was. Was that a sin on Jesus’ part? Obviously not. Jesus does not sin.

The mystery we face here is that sometimes the truth is “insulting,” so to speak. It’s insulting to a person’s pride. What’s most interesting is that when someone is insulted, they need to first realize that they are insulted because of their pride, not because of what the other person said or did. Even if someone was overly harsh, feeling insulted is a result of pride. If one were truly humble, then a rebuke would actually be welcomed as a helpful form of correction. Sadly, the scholar of the law appears to lack the necessary humility to let Jesus’ rebuke sink in and free him from his sin.

Reflect, today, upon whether or not you are humble enough to receive correction from another. If someone points out your sin do you get offended? Or do you take it as a useful correction and allow it to help you grow in holiness?

Lord, please give me true humility. Help me to never be offended when corrected by others. May I receive others’ corrections as graces to help me on my way to holiness. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Source of content: mycatholic.life