Reading 1 Gal 5:18-25
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
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
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.”
ZAP!
"Woe to you! You are like hidden tombs over which men walk unawares." –Luke 11:44
There are false Christians (see 2 Cor 11:26). Like the moon, these Christians may reflect just enough of the light of Christ to attract others. What little light they reflect may attract some who seek escape from the darkness of sin (see 2 Cor 11:13-15). However, these false Christians are like a "bug-zapper" light. If those unfortunate, searching souls get too close to the false Christians, their fledgling faith is zapped and killed as surely as if they fell into a hidden tomb (Lk 11:44; Mt 23:15).
We must always examine our life to see if we are completely radiating the light of Christ. We may talk about Jesus and temporarily attract people. But are we then leading people who search for Jesus further away from Him? Do our lifestyles, words, or actions influence others to:
- be more fear-filled than faith-filled,
- sin in thought, word, or deed,
- stifle the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19) rather than fan the Spirit's flame (2 Tm 1:6),
- talk about their problems rather than bring them to Jesus,
- trust in their own provision rather than God's, or
- contracept or abort their children?
Jesus says it would be better for us to be drowned in the sea with a great millstone around our neck rather than lead astray a simple believer, such as our child or family member, who comes to us (Mt 18:6). Therefore, we must be always watchful lest we fall (1 Cor 10:12) and lead others away from Jesus.
| PRAYER: | Jesus, set me aflame in the fire of Your love. |
| PROMISE: | "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires." –Gal 5:24 |
| PRAISE: | It took years before Sarah prayed her sister back into the Church, but she never gave up. |
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