more october 10 2006 photos

 

october 19 2006

Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs

Eph 1:1-10 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christwith every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6 R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done wondrous deeds;His right hand has won victory for him,his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulnesstoward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation by our God.Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,with the harp and melodious song.With trumpets and the sound of the hornsing joyfully before the King, the LORD.R. The Lord has made known his salvation. Reading II

Lk 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.

Jesus is warning the scholars of the killing of the prophets that is continuing to his time. The Pharisees and scribes are being taught the way of God and that these killings of prophets are against God's will. They do not hear the words of Jesus with open hears and rather than repenting their hardness turn even further from God and begin to plot against Jesus. Jesus has in the gospel been the prophet and revealer of truths made known by God to him and for this the Pharisees and scribes are hostile toward him. Rather than being forewarned about their mistaken path they chose to be defensive of their mistaken ways and embark on the road of a new and even greater crime against God that ends in the crucifixion. Because we all have free will, they could have at this point in the gospel story chose to repent of their ways of persecution and follow God's will and listen and learn from Jesus. They did not have to try and attack Jesus. With free will, the story could have had a different ending and direction but the Pharisees and scribes made a deliberate decision at this point of the story to "go after" and attack Jesus and plot against him. The string of violence could have been broken by an open heart and ears to hear but the way of Abel and the crimes of the ancestors continued instead in the hands of the Pharisees and scribes.

I believe that everyday I have the opportunity to stop the persecution of others, to avoid the hostility to avoid the violence to refuse to compete or judge others. I pray today for a heart full of compassion and a willness to have an open mind and ears to do God's will and show mercy and compassion and love to all that I meet in this day. I pray that the Holy Spirit gives me wisdom and courage to fully live as Christ to others in all acts and ways today.