Readings: Eph 1:1-10, Ps. 98, Luke 11:47-54
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
LEARN TO ACCEPT THE PURIFYING FIRE OF TRUTH AND NEVER SUPPRESS IT
Today in our Gospel passage, Jesus continued with his reproach on the Scribes and the Pharisees for hardening their hearts from his teaching, therefore behaving like their ancestors. Little wonder, Jesus, in his reproach, said: woe to you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed!
In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building. Hearing this the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him. They tried to force answers from him by setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.
Here, Jesus was speaking to the people about the ugly attitudes and wickedness of humanity, well manifested by the Scribes and Pharisees. For on the various occasions when we ought to obey the Lord, we prefer to live and act in accordance with our own selfish and proud attitudes. Hence by reproaching us, Jesus is reminding us that this is not the right path for us to follow.
Instead, we should be more faithful and pay more attention to God’s words and teachings. This he had repeatedly communicated to us through the prophets, which we often rejected. Similarly, despite all the signs and wonders Jesus had done for humanity, we still refused to have faith in him.
To understand this great sacrifice of the Lord, St. Paul, in our first reading, says: blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. For he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and spotless and live through love in his presence. Telling us how much God loves us and how necessary it is for us to listen to him.
This is what we see in the life of St. Theresa of Avila whose memorial we celebrate today. She was one of the most prominent members of the early Church, who helped to establish a solid foundation for the Church. A life she embraced so deeply and became a renowned mystic and holy woman. With the help of St. John of the Cross, she was a very important figure in the renewal and reformation of the Carmelite order through which she established the Discalced Carmelites.
St. Theresa of Avila is one of the few female Doctors of the Church because of her immense contribution to the faith through her writings and way of life, by which she sought to return the Christian faith to its purer state. So, let us learn from her how to be true Christians in our way of life, words and deeds. Let us learn to put our trust in God who has promised to keep us from falling away from the true faith we have found in His Son Jesus.
Dear friends, why do we often feel bad when we hear people telling us the truth? Why do we often set traps to catch up with innocent people because they are telling us the truth we don’t want to hear? Today, we are called not to be like the Scribes and Pharisees, who, out of pride and selfishness, rejected the words of Jesus and sought to kill him.
Rather, we should be more humble and disposed towards the words of God we hear every day. We should make efforts to transform our lives and faith closer to that of Jesus. We should stop opposing and setting traps for people because they are telling us the truth or refuse to follow our opinions. Let us stop building on the past ugly and evil attitudes of people who have gone before us just like the scribes and Pharisees.
LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of pride we often wish to eliminate those who correct us. As you reproach our ugly attitudes of pride and selfishness today, may we be filled with the longing for true holiness and humility; we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.
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