Chia sẻ Lời Chúa

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Suy Niệm thứ Tư Tuần 28 Thường niên

Suy Niệm thứ Tư Tuần 28 Thường niên
Qua Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy trong cuộc tranh cãi với những người Pharisêu, Chúa Giê Su đã đặt nặng vấn đề công lý và tình yêu của Thiên Chúa như là lõi cốt chính của cuộc sống chung trong xã hội trên hơn tất cả bất cứ quan điểm cá nhân nào. Hòa bình và Pháp luật, Công lý và Hoà bình được kết nối không thể tách rời. Khi Luật Pháp bị chà đạp và sự bất công nổi lên nắm quyền, thì hòa bình luôn bị đe dọa.
Những tiêu chí chính trị phải dựa trên những giá trị đạo đức, chứ không phải là do con người chúng ta tạo ra, nhưng chúng phải được công nhận trên sự bình đẳng cho tất cả mọi người. Nếu không có sự bình đẳng thì Luật pháp có thể được áp dụng theo hình thức của những người có quyền theo kiểu cường hào ác bá bởi vì luật pháp được lập ra vì những lợi ích của phe phái hay phe nhóm có quyền.
Hai yếu tố sau đã làm nổi bật vì chúng biến công lý không còn có ý nghĩa mà là công cụ̣ bất chính cho kẻ cầm quyền. Thứ nhất, "chủ nghĩa hoài nghi của hệ tư tưởng", làm cho lương tâm trở nên tồi tệ hơn khi tìm mọi cách để biện minh cho những việc làm bất lương của kẻ cầm quyền bằng bất kỳ phương tiện nào để đạt được những mục tiêu và quyền lợi phe nhóm. Thứ hai, "chủ nghĩa hoài nghi cùa trong việc kinh doanh (khai thác vô nguyên tắc các nguồn tài nguyên thiên nhiên), khi con người lợi dụng những tài nguyên thiên nhiên dùng quyền lực để thay thế Luật pháp.
Lạy Chúa, đạo giáo của Chúa Kitô không làm cho lý trí của chúng con ra mù quáng, nhưng xin Chúa hãy soi sáng cho chúng con biết dùng lý trí để mang lại sự hoà bình và xin đức tin của chúng con có thể lấy lại sự bình tĩnh cho lý trí bởi vì cuộc sống hiện tại luôn có sự bóp méo sự thật và kìm chế tư tưởng của chúng con..

Justice and Peace
Today, in controversy with the Pharisees, Jesus Christ places justice and God’s love, as axes of social coexistence by setting them above personal viewpoints. Peace and Law, Justice and Peace are inseparably connected. When Law is trampled on and injustice comes to power, peace is always threatened.
            Political criteria should be based on those moral values, not created by us, but recognized and equal for all men. Without them Law can be criminally used with factional purposes. Two factors of justice dilution stand out. First, the “cynicism of ideology”, which obfuscates consciences by justifying any means to achieve factional objectives. Second, the “cynicism of business” (unscrupulous exploitation of natural resources), where the useful also takes the place of the good and power displaces Law.
            O Lord, Christianity do not lead us far from reason, but illuminates it instead: make that to achieve peace, faith may calm down reason, often distorted by ideological tyranny.

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
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 11:45–46
Just prior to this exchange, Jesus delivered three piercing rebukes to the Pharisees: “Woe to you Pharisees!” He condemned them for ignoring “judgment and love for God,” for seeking “the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces,” and for being “like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” These are not the words of the inoffensive Jesus often portrayed in secular culture, nor of a Jesus reduced to a vague symbol of kindness and passive tolerance. When a scholar of the law objected, saying He was being offensive, Jesus did not retreat. He intensified His message: “Woe also to you scholars of the law!”
Jesus did, in fact, perfectly embody gentleness, joy, and kindness. But these virtues were never in conflict with the fullness of truth, justice, and righteous indignation. His mercy did not negate His zeal for holiness, nor did His love dilute His call to conversion. Every virtue in Jesus existed in perfect harmony, including the courage to confront sin and hypocrisy for the sake of salvation.
When we encounter Gospel passages in which Jesus sharply rebukes the Pharisees, we may find ourselves uncomfortable and tempted to gloss over them. This is understandable. In our own experience, a cry of “Woe to you!” often flows not from pure love but from wounded pride, resentment, or a desire for revenge. When we are offended, we are prone to respond with judgment, often irrational and emotionally charged.
But in Jesus, there is no disordered anger. His rebukes are never the result of frustration or loss of control. Rather, they issue from a burning charity—piercing, purposeful, and redemptive. His words to the Pharisees were not fueled by hostility, but by a profound desire to draw them back to the Father. Gentle words and reasoned teaching had proven ineffective for them; what remained was a necessary spiritual jolt. His rebuke, though severe, was rooted in divine love meant to awaken their consciences and call them to repentance.
This kind of love can be difficult to receive and even more difficult to imitate. But discomfort is not a reason to avoid entering into the “drama” of divine charity. While it may feel easier to reflect on scenes of Jesus embracing children, healing the sick, or forgiving sinners, today’s Gospel reveals another essential dimension of His love—one that we must also meditate on, understand, and learn to accept.
Though God may not call us to confront others with the same divine authority as Jesus, there will be times when charity compels us to correct, challenge, or admonish someone we love. When that moment comes, the devil will surely seek to distort our intentions, stirring pride, impatience, or resentment so that our correction loses its charity and becomes the sin of anger. If we have not prayerfully reflected on the love that animates Christ’s rebukes, we risk acting from our passions instead of by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Reflect today on how God may be calling you to love with truth and clarity, even when it’s difficult. Ask for the grace to be courageous yet charitable, bold yet compassionate, and always rooted in the burning charity of Christ. By entering deeply into today’s Gospel in prayer, placing ourselves within this charged scene, and viewing it through the lens of divine love, we can begin to understand what holy correction looks like. Jesus teaches us not only how to love gently, but also how to love with strength, especially in moments of conflict, tension, and moral failure.
Most passionate Lord, You loved every sinner according to what each one most needed. To some, You offered tenderness, like a shepherd gently carrying a wounded lamb. To others, You gave a firm invitation to follow You and leave all else behind. Still others You rebuked with a holy passion that pierced their hearts and called them to repentance. Please love me as I need to be loved, and give me the grace to receive Your love fully and without resistance. May I also imitate You and be guided by grace to compassionately, tenderly, mercifully, courageously, or fiercely love others where they are. Jesus, I trust in You.

Wednesday 28th Ordinary Time, 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my heart so that I may recognize how I am responding to your gracious love. When your Son warns me against hypocrisy, help me to examine my own life honestly. Keep me from seeking the praise of others, and teach me to love you and my neighbor with a sincere heart.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Woe to you Pharisees! In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues his conversation with the Pharisee who invited him to dinner. The Pharisee had been shocked that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. Jesus now uses the occasion to expose a deeper problem: the Pharisees had become so concerned with external observance that they had lost sight of the interior holiness that God desires. The Pharisees’ desire for holiness was not itself wrong. The Law of Moses commanded Israel to be holy, and the traditions that developed around the Law were often intended to help God’s people live faithfully. The problem was that these practices could become an end in themselves. Meticulous observance of lesser matters could give a person the illusion of righteousness while the more fundamental demands of the Law -justice, mercy, humility, and love of God – were neglected. Jesus is therefore not condemning obedience to God’s law. Indeed, he says, “These you should have done, without overlooking the others.” The problem is misplaced priorities. No amount of external religious observance can compensate for a heart that has ceased to love God and neighbor.
2. Three Woes of Warning: Jesus pronounces three “woes” upon the Pharisees. The word woe is important. In Scripture, a “woe” is not simply an expression of anger or a curse. It is a solemn prophetic warning of the terrible consequences that await those who persist in a sinful way of life. Jesus is essentially saying, “How terrible it will be for you if you continue down this path.” His words are severe, but they are also merciful because a warning gives the sinner an opportunity to repent. The first woe concerns the Pharisees’ distorted priorities. They carefully tithed even the smallest garden herbs while neglecting “judgment and the love for God.” Their attention to details had become a substitute for genuine conversion. The second woe concerns their desire for honor. They loved the “seat of honor” and the greetings they received in public. Their religious leadership had become a means of gaining recognition. Instead of directing people’s attention toward God, they had begun directing it toward themselves. The third woe is especially striking. Jesus compares them to “unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” According to the Law, contact with a grave caused ritual impurity. The Pharisees had devoted themselves to avoiding external impurity, yet Jesus says that their hypocrisy was making others spiritually unclean without those people even realizing it. Their teaching and example could lead others away from the holiness they claimed to promote. This is a sobering warning for anyone who exercises spiritual influence. Our example can either draw people toward God or quietly lead them away from him.
3. A Woe for the Scholars of the Law: One of the scholars of the law protests: “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” Jesus responds with another woe. The scholars of the law had become experts in interpreting the Law, but they had turned that knowledge into burdens for the people. Jesus says, “You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.” Their problem was not that they took God’s law seriously. The problem was that they placed heavy demands upon others without helping them bear those demands themselves. True spiritual leadership does the opposite. It does not simply tell people what they must do; it helps them encounter God’s mercy and gives them practical assistance in responding to his grace. Jesus himself will later say, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). These four woes therefore invite us to examine our own approach to faith. Do I emphasize rules while neglecting love? Do I seek recognition for my good works? Do my words and example draw others toward Christ? Do I place burdens upon others that I am unwilling to carry myself? Jesus’ warnings are not intended merely for the Pharisees and scholars of the law. They are warnings for every disciple who can gradually substitute the appearance of holiness for holiness itself. The antidote is a humble heart that loves God above all things, seeks justice and mercy, and willingly helps others carry their burdens.

Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2025
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 11:45–46
This scholar of the law had been listening to Jesus firmly rebuke the Pharisees. As he listened, his own conscience was pricked, and he challenged our Lord. What does Jesus do? He quickly and firmly rebukes the scholar of the law, pointing out that the scholar uses the law to impose heavy burdens on people. Jesus did not back down in this rebuke of love. Instead, He directed it to the very place that His rebuke was bearing fruit: in the conscience of this scholar of the law.
This experience of the scholar of the law teaches us two important lessons. First, we learn from him the importance of paying attention to our conscience when it is “pricked.” Second, it teaches us that when this happens, it is very easy to become defensive.
What is it that pricks your own conscience? Think back over the past month and reflect upon anything that you became defensive about. Did something someone said bother you? If so, pay attention to this. Sometimes we are bothered for reasons other than our own sin. But oftentimes, what actually bothers us is that we come face-to-face with some sin with which we struggle, and we do not want to admit it.
What if this scholar of the law would have listened to Jesus and, instead of being offended, became grateful for Jesus’ words? What if he would have humbly looked at his own life and realized that he was also guilty of the very things that Jesus was condemning the Pharisees for? If he would have done that, he would have been put in a position to sincerely examine his actions and begin a process of change. But this is hard to do.
Reflect, today, upon anything that has recently offended you. Be honest and admit that it is often the case that when God presents you with your sin through some means such as the loving rebuke of another, you must work diligently to overcome any pride. And when you feel defensive, you must immediately see that as an indication that there is something in your life that you need to change. A pricked conscience is a gift from God. Rejoice when that happens, rather than being offended, and you will discover one of the best ways by which you can grow in holiness of life by becoming free of the very sin our Lord is presenting to you.
My challenging Lord, You are constantly speaking to me in various ways. Sometimes You are gentle, and at other times You lovingly rebuke me. Please help me to see my sin. As I do, I pray that I will not become defensive or dismissive, rationalizing my erroneous actions. May I learn to rejoice in all that You say to me, especially when You speak Your rebukes of love. Jesus, I trust in You.

Wednesday 28^th Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my heart to know how I am responding to your gracious love. I hear the warning your Son gave to the Pharisees and the Scholars of the Law. Help me to know if I have unknowingly fallen into hypocrisy and sinful ways. May I help your people attain salvation!
Encountering the Word of God
1. Woe to you Pharisees! In the Gospel, Jesus is dining at an unnamed Pharisee’s home. The Pharisee was shocked that Jesus did not follow the prescribed washings before meals. And Jesus used the opportunity to warn the Pharisees about how they were living. The Pharisees mistakenly thought that holiness was a question of meticulous fulfillment of the law of Moses and separation from the impurity of the Gentiles. They built up an entire tradition of practices aimed at living the law perfectly. In the case of washing hands before meals, it was a way of extending the priestly rituals of washing before offering a sacrifice to every meal. Holiness, then, was seen as something exterior rather than interior. The Pharisees gave meticulous attention to lesser commandments like paying their taxes, but neglected the virtue of justice and the first commandment to love God above all things. In fact, their fulfillment of hundreds of human traditions puffed them up in pride, rather than walking humbly before God. They sought the praise of men and not the glory of God. Instead of teaching the people to walk humbly, they corrupted those they taught. The scholars of the law were not exempt from this warning. They too built up wearisome burdens for the people in their teachings and traditions instead of bringing the people to the heart of the law – love for God and neighbor.
2. To Those who Judge Others: One of the main traits of the Pharisees was their tendency to judge others. Paul addresses this in his Letter to the Romans. He speaks to Jewish persons who pass judgment on Gentile sinners. “Evidently, some, inflated with a sense of moral superiority, felt justified in playing the judge and condemning the non-Jewish world for its wickedness” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 22). Yes, pagan practices were abominations and worthy to be condemned. However, Paul criticizes his debate partner here for holding others to a standard that they themselves struggle to attain. Paul then charges his fellow Jews with the same sins committed in the pagan world (Romans 2:1). Paul is making a parallel here: just as the pagan Gentiles are inexcusably culpable for sinning against God’s revelation in creation, so the Jews are culpable for sinning against God’s revelation in the Torah (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 22). According to Paul, the Jews have fallen into hypocrisy – like the Pharisees and scholars of the law in the Gospel – and infidelity and presumption. They have a prideful overconfidence that they, as members of God’s people, will escape the judgment of God. “It seems that some Jews regarded their ethnic ties to the patriarchs, along with the privilege of being counted among God’s people, as an insurance policy against the fiery day of judgment. It was a false confidence that every Israelite was guaranteed mercy, no matter what” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 23).
3. Judgment according to Works: Paul argues that we will be judged not by our ethnicity, but by our works. “This is the belief that God will hold every person accountable for his or her actions, public or private, and assign each person a corresponding destiny. One will either receive eternal life at the final judgment, or face the wrath and fury of the God who punishes evil” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 24). This teaching that we will be judged on our works is not opposed to Paul’s later teaching in the letter that we are initially justified not by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, Chapter Two concludes with a teaching on the necessity for both Gentiles and Jews to observe the law. While the Jews have the revealed law of God written in the Torah, the Gentiles have the natural law of God written in their hearts. The Gentiles also have a conscience which bears witness to what is good and evil. What Paul teaches is that we are initially justified by grace, and this grace of justification is not dependent on our works. It is an unmerited gift of God given to us through Jesus and the Spirit. However, the gift is an empowering gift that enables the Christian to perform works that result from God’s operative power in the believer. The works the believer does in union with Christ have a salvific value. And that is why we, as believers, need to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12) (see Barber, Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment, 157-159).

Wednesday 28^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my heart to know how I am responding to your gracious love. I hear the warning your Son gave to the Pharisees and the Scholars of the Law. Help me to know if I have unknowingly fallen into hypocrisy and sinful ways. May I help your people attain salvation!
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Three Woes Pronounced upon the Pharisees: Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus pronounced a series of four covenant blessings and four covenant curses or “woes” (Luke 6:20-26). A “woe” is a cry of warning of coming judgment. Jesus taught that the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are reviled on account of him enjoy God’s blessing. The rich, those who are full, those who laugh, and those who are spoken well of are given a warning. Jesus voices this cry “to warn that disaster awaits the comfortable of the world whose prosperity and notoriety have turned them away from God and the demands of his covenant” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 118). In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the Pharisees with three “woes” that judgment is coming upon them. They are first warned about their religious hypocrisy. This means that they present themselves as righteous because of their detailed exterior fulfillment of lesser matters of the Law, and yet, interiorly, they are full of wickedness. They are two-faced: exteriorly and superficially, they give the appearance of holiness while, at the same time, they are interiorly and deeply wicked. Second, they are then warned about how they strive to attain temporal earthly honors instead of eternal heavenly glory. Third, Jesus warns them that they have become like unseen sources of defilement. Instead of bringing the people to God, they keep the people from entering the Kingdom of God. In short, Jesus warns the Pharisees that they are hypocrites, that they are full of evil, and that they have failed in their religious duties. For this, they are judged by Jesus and given a covenant warning of woe.
2. The First Woe Pronounced upon the Scholars of the Law: When the Scholars of the Law object that Jesus, by calling out the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees, is insulting them too, Jesus does not apologize to them. He doubles down, so to speak, and pronounces three “woes” upon the Scholars of the Law. We hear the first one in the Gospel today and will hear the second and third warnings tomorrow. The first warning that Jesus gives concerns their interpretation of the Law of Moses. Jesus accuses them of burdening the people and not helping to ease the load. This means that they have added their human traditions to God’s Law and made it even harder to bear. In contrast to the Scholars of the Old Law, when Jesus gives us the New Law, he also gives the strength and power to fulfill it: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Although the New Law is a higher standard than the Old Law, we are empowered to fulfill it through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the merits and grace of Jesus Christ.
3. Works of the Flesh vs. the Fruit of the Spirit: In the Letter to the Galatians, Paul speaks about what it means to enjoy freedom in Christ. This is not freedom to choose between and to do good or evil, but a freedom to do good and serve one’s brothers and sisters in love (Galatians 5:13-14). Instead of having to submit to the Old Law, we are guided and empowered by the Spirit to live according to the New Law. We need to walk by the Spirit in this freedom Christ has given us (Galatians 5:15-17). “The works of the flesh are obvious, and [Paul] has warned [the Galatians] before of the judgment coming against them. But avoiding them is a matter not of the law but the Spirit, who produces good fruit in those joined to Christ. So live by the Spirit” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 156). Paul lists fifteen works of the flesh, including immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, strife, selfishness, rivalry, dissension, division, envy, and drunkenness (see ESV-CE translation). He then lists nine fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Suy niệm lời Chúa Thứ Tư 28 thuờng niên (Luke 11:42-46)
Điểm chính của bài học mà Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta hôm nay là cốt lõi của giới răn Thiên Chúa đó là tình yêu thương, yêu thương là giới răn quan trong nhất, và yêu mến Thiên Chúa và thương yêu những người chung quanh là những người được tạo dựng nên theo giống hình ảnh Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa là tình yêu (1 Gioan 4:8) và tất cả mọi thứ Ngài dựng nên đuộc phát sinh ra từ tình yêu của Ngài cho chúng ta. Tình yêu Thiên Chúa là Tình yêu vô điều kiện và hoàn toàn hướng tới những lợi ích cho người khác. Tình yêu thương chân thật đều biết chia xẻ và nâng đỡ những gánh nặng của người khác. Thánh Phaolô đã nhắc nhở chúng ta như trong thư gửi tín hữu Rôma rằng "Thiên Chúa đã đổ tình yêu của Ngài vào lòng chúng ta, nhờ Thánh Thần mà Người ban cho chúng ta." (Rô-ma 5:5). Mỗi ngày trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, Thiên Chúa đã ban cho mỗi người chúng ta những hồng ân của Ngài hầu giúp chúng ta có đủ sức mạnh để chúng ta yêu thương nhau như Ngài đã yêu thương chúng ta và giúp chúng ta dỡ bỏ những gánh nặng của người khác để họ cũng có thể trải nghiệm được ân sủng và tình yêu của Chúa Giêsu Kitô.
Reflection Luke 11:42-46
The point of lesson Jesus teach us today is the essence of God's commandments is love; love of the supreme good ; and Love God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Saint Paul reminds us in the letter to the Romans that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5).
Each day in our lives, God gives each of us sufficient grace in order for us to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

Suy Niệm bài đọc Thứ Ba Tuần thứ 28 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc Thứ Ba Tuần thứ 28 Thường Niên
    Trong bài đọc thứ Nhất hôm nay, Thánh Phaolô nhắc nhở Giáo Đoàn Rôma rằng họ được cứu bởi vì họ có niềm tin vào Chúa Kitô và Tin Mừng. Thánh Phao lô cũng nói rằng chúng ta biết được Thiên Chúa là do bởi những công trình mà Chúa đã tạo ra trong thế giớ và trong cuộc sống của chúng ta..
      Trong bài Tin Mừnh, Chúa Giêsu đã khiển trách những người Pharisêu vì lòng đạo đức giả của họ, họ thờ phượng Thiên Cha bằng môi miệng trong nhiều quy tắc: họ có hàng đống luật lệ như nhỡng toa thuốc vô tận về sự thanh tẩy và sự sạch sẽ của họ với những nghi thức bề ngoài như việc chuẩn bị thức ăn và cách ăn uống. Tuy nhiên, lòng của họ thì "đầy tham lam và ác độc."
Điều quan trọng thực sự chính là những gì chúng ta đang làm bằng tất cả trái tim, lòng nhiệt huyết và cuộc sống của chúng ta.
      Lạy Chúa, xin giúp chúng con hiểu biết về Chúa nhiều ơn thêm và có ược tấm lòng quảng ại và từ bi. Xin Chúa giúp chúng con lạy Chúa, đừng bao giờ để con đi tìm lỗi của người khác nhưng giúp chúng biết yêu thương lại. Xin Chúa giúp chúng con biết thông cảm và không xét đoán người khác trong động cơ và hành động của họ. Xin Chúa dạy chúng con biết khiêm tốn và rộng lượng.

Tuesday 28th Ordinary Time:
     In the first reading Paul reminds the Church in Rome that they are saved by their belief in Christ and the Good News. Paul also says that we know God from his works, the world he had created..
     In the Gospel reading Jesus reprimands the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in their many rules: they have endless prescriptions about ritual purity and cleanliness, about preparing food and eating. Yet they are "full of greed and evil." What is truly important is what we are in our hearts and inmost being.
     Lord, help me to become more understanding and compassionate. Help me, Lord, not to be a fault-finder but a loving person instead. Help me to be discerning and yet not judgmental of others in their motives and actions. Teach me to be humble and generous.

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. Luke 11:37–38
Did Jesus break the Law of Moses by failing to observe the prescribed ritual handwashing before sitting down to eat? He did not. This ceremonial washing was not a precept of the Mosaic Law but rather a tradition developed by the elders. It was intended to signify ritual purity before meals. But Jesus rejected it because it had become a superficial religiosity that separated outward actions from inward holiness.
The Pharisee’s amazement reveals how distorted his and others’ sense of holiness had become at that time. Their faith had become focused on external practices while blind to interior decay. In dismissing the handwashing, Jesus may have been exposing the foolishness of those who cling to appearances while neglecting the heart.
As the passage continues, the Pharisee either expressed his amazement outwardly or Jesus perceived his heart and responded with a passionate rebuke, making for an uncomfortable moment: “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!”
The word translated as “fools” means “without reason,” “without understanding,” or “lacking moral and spiritual discernment.” It is not used here as an insult but as a prophetic indictment revealing the irrationality of the Pharisees’ priorities in giving excessive significance to an external act while neglecting the interior life.
Though we no longer observe this particular ritual handwashing—likely because of Jesus’ correction—His teaching remains relevant. Many outward religious actions are part of our Catholic devotional life: making the Sign of the Cross, genuflecting, using holy water, kissing a blessed object, and more. Each of these is good and important. However, in light of Jesus’ words, we must continually examine whether our external expressions of faith are joined to sincere interior devotion.
For example, the Sign of the Cross is meaningful only if it is made prayerfully, acknowledging the Holy Trinity. Genuflecting before the tabernacle is a true act of reverence, but it loses its significance if done out of habit or distraction and without an interior acknowledgment of Christ’s Real Presence.
The same principle applies to our interactions with others. Imagine a situation in which you’ve offended a family member and, to avoid conflict, you quickly say, “Oops, I’m sorry.” While the words may be correct, the act is hollow unless it flows from true humility—recognizing the wrong committed, feeling sorrow for it, and sincerely asking for forgiveness.
Jesus’ passionate response to the Pharisee shows us that the unity of our interior and exterior actions is not optional—it is essential. God, who made both body and soul, desires worship that is whole, integrated, and sincere. Holiness is not a mask we wear but a transformation of the heart that radiates outward in word and deed.
Reflect today on the unity between your outward expressions of faith and the inner disposition of your heart. Ask yourself whether your devotional practices, gestures of reverence, and even your interactions with others arise from a heart purified by grace and animated by love. Let this Gospel passage remind you that God sees not only the “outside of the cup” but especially its interior. Strive to ensure that what God sees within you is pleasing to Him—marked by integrity, sincerity, and holiness of life. When the heart is cleansed by truth and charity, every outward act becomes a true offering of worship.
Most charitable Lord, every action You performed flowed from the depths of Your divine love. Never was there an act of devotion that lacked sincerity or truth. Form my heart after Your own Sacred Heart. Strengthen within me a life of authentic devotion and deep love for others. May all that I do outwardly be a true expression of my inner communion with You, radiating Your love through my words and deeds. Jesus, I trust in You.

Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, deliver me from the foolishness of seeking holiness only in outward appearances. Purify my heart by your grace and teach me to recognize you in those who need my love. May my faith never remain merely external, but transform my thoughts, desires, words, and actions so that I may grow in holiness through charity.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Shocking the Pharisees: The Pharisee in today’s Gospel was shocked that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. His surprise reveals how easily religious observance can become separated from the holiness it is meant to express. Jesus takes this opportunity to teach that true purity is not merely a matter of what happens on the outside. God is concerned with the heart. Jesus does not deny the importance of holiness. Rather, he reveals where holiness must begin. The same God who made the outside of the cup also made the inside. External observances have value only when they correspond to an interior disposition of love and obedience. A person can appear religious while harboring selfishness, greed, or evil within. Jesus therefore calls the Pharisee to something deeper than ritual cleanliness. He calls him to conversion of heart.
2. Holiness through Separation: The Pharisees were deeply concerned with maintaining ritual and moral purity. Their desire for holiness was not entirely misguided. The Old Testament itself taught Israel to distinguish between what was clean and unclean and called God’s people to be holy because God is holy. The problem arose when external purity became the primary measure of righteousness. The Pharisees looked to the holiness required of priests in the Temple as a model for the entire Jewish people. As the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible explains, “They looked to the Temple and priests of Jerusalem, considering the elaborate purity requirements for priests (Leviticus 21-22) a fitting model for Jewish purity in the homes of laypeople. All Israelites, the Pharisees reasoned, should maintain this high level of priestlike holiness in their personal lives” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1792). Yet Jesus is inaugurating the New Covenant, in which holiness will no longer be understood primarily as separation from external sources of ritual impurity. The holiness he brings is directed toward the transformation of the human heart. The true danger is not what enters us from the outside but the evil that proceeds from within. Jesus himself is the fulfillment of Israel’s holiness and priesthood. He does not become unclean by drawing near to sinners and those in need. Instead, his holiness transforms and restores them. He brings God’s holiness into the midst of human brokenness.
3. Holiness through Charity: Jesus gives the Pharisee a startling remedy: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” Almsgiving is not a substitute for repentance or God’s grace. Rather, it is a concrete expression of a heart that has been converted from selfishness to love. The Old Testament already connected generosity to the cleansing of sin. Tobit teaches that “almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin” (Tobit 12:9), while Sirach says that “alms atone for sins” (Sirach 3:29). Jesus draws upon this tradition to show that true purity cannot be separated from charity. The contrast is profound. Ritual washing cleanses the outside, but charity begins to cleanse the inside because it confronts one of the deepest sources of our impurity: self-centeredness. When we give generously to someone in need, we turn away from ourselves and toward another person created in God's image. We learn to use our possessions, abilities, time, and opportunities not simply for ourselves but for the good of others. This is why charity is such a powerful expression of holiness. The Christian life is not about appearing holy while remaining unchanged within. It is about allowing God’s grace to transform the heart so completely that his love begins to flow through everything we do. Jesus therefore calls us beyond an external religion that can leave the heart untouched. He calls us to the holiness of love – a holiness that receives God’s mercy and then gives itself generously to others.

Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!”  Luke 11:37–40
It’s hard to imagine Jesus calling someone a fool. But that’s exactly what He did. This Pharisee had just finished listening to Jesus give a series of teachings and then invited our Lord to His home for dinner in an apparent gesture of kindness. But as the passage unfolds, it’s clear that this Pharisee is no friend of Jesus. Instead, his hospitality and kindness are a cloak for the evil within his soul.
Why does Jesus respond so fiercely, calling the Pharisee a fool? Because this Pharisee is filled with hypocrisy. His exterior actions do not flow from a heart filled with charity and faith. Instead, his exterior actions are a show. He is a fraud. He, like many of the Pharisees, was very concerned with various external rituals, such as scrupulously washing his hands before he ate. He believed that doing so was a sign of his holiness and closeness to God. But it wasn’t. His heart was one that was filled with judgment and self-righteousness. He looked down on others and elevated himself. In doing so, he deceived others and even deceived himself.
The central message we must take from this is that we must diligently focus upon that which is in our hearts. Our hearts, our interior life, must be blooming with love of God and others. We must place all of our efforts on cultivating a sincere life of virtue within. This is done by prayer and humility. Humility will open our eyes to see the truth of who we are. Prayer will strengthen us to change as we see that which needs to be changed within. Only then, when we see clearly the truth of who we are and prayerfully rely upon grace obtained by prayer, will we be able to become people of true integrity and holiness. And only then will our interior holiness be made manifest externally in our actions.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful words of Jesus: “You fools!” Don’t be offended by these words; they are words of love from our Lord. They are His fierce attempt to wake this Pharisee up and lead him away from his hypocrisy. Listen to these words as if they were also spoken to you. Every one of us can humbly benefit from this loving chastisement from Jesus. Every one of us needs to humbly be transformed more fully interiorly. Let Jesus’ words speak to you and reveal to you the ways that you need to change. Perhaps your pride has led you to an interior practice of judgment of others. Perhaps it has blinded you to sins that you need to confess. If you can listen to these words as if they were spoken to you, then Jesus’ fervor will reach you, and your eyes will be opened to that which is in your soul that needs to be changed. Do not turn a blind eye to this. Be open, be humble and listen.
My fervent Lord, You spoke words of love in many ways. At times You were gentle and at times You were firm. Please give me the grace and humility I need to be open to Your firm rebukes of love. Help me to sincerely see the ways in which I need to change my life so that Your grace will transform my interior life, flowing over into my actions. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.

Tuesday 28th Ordinary Time: 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, do not let me follow the way of foolishness that leads to death and separation from you. Do not let me be a hypocrite. I pray that I may grow in true holiness through the gift of your grace and truly serve my brothers and sisters in need.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Give Alms and Everything Will Be Clean: Jesus’ teaching about almsgiving in the Gospel is rooted in the Old Testament. The Book of Tobit teaches: “almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin” (Tobit 12:9). This is echoed in the Book of Sirach, which says: “alms atone for sins” (Sirach 3:29). Jesus was dining at a Pharisee’s home and needed to correct the Pharisee’s understanding of being pure and clean. Almsgiving cleanses inner defilement and accomplishes what ritual washings cannot (see Martin, Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 333). This was an important teaching because the Pharisees were so influential in Jesus’ day. The religious program of the Pharisees was actually at odds with Jesus’s inauguration of the New Covenant. The Pharisees thought that they could be faithful to God by separating themselves from all Gentile impurity and defilement. They thought that this would lead to God intervening and saving them from Roman oppression. “They looked to the Temple and priests of Jerusalem, considering the elaborate purity requirements for priests (Leviticus 21-22) a fitting model for Jewish purity in the homes of laypeople. All Israelites, the Pharisees reasoned, should maintain this high level of priestlike holiness in their personal lives” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1792). The Pharisee in today’s Gospel was shocked that Jesus didn’t follow the prescribed washings. He showed that he was oblivious to the real holiness, innocent purity, and high priesthood of Jesus. And Jesus takes the opportunity to correct the Pharisee and teach that it is not through ceremonial washings that one becomes pure and holy, but through giving oneself to others in charity.
2. The Gospel according to Paul: In the First Reading, Paul proclaims that he was not embarrassed to spread the Gospel. He wants the whole world – Jews and Gentiles – to come to know the saving message of Jesus Christ. “At the heart of Paul’s letter to the Romans is the gospel, the good news of salvation that was ‘promised beforehand’ (Romans 1:2). The people of Israel have longed to hear this good news. For Paul, the gospel is the culmination of God’s promises to Abraham and David: God has fulfilled these promises through Jesus” (Swafford and Cavins, Romans: The Gospel of Salvation, 9). Unlike what Martin Luther thought, the Jewish people did not believe in works-righteousness, i.e., that their obedience to the Law of Moses earned them the right to salvation. Instead, Judaism “firmly believed that the election of the Jews was an unmerited blessing from God (see Deuteronomy 9:4-7). Obedience to the law was the free response to God’s invitation to holiness. The initiative for salvation came squarely from the side of God, not the Jews themselves. By saying that the Jews have already been under the obedience of faith, Paul shows that the key for the Jews’ membership in the covenant was the faith in God expressed through obedience to his law. Jesus Christ perfectly embodied this obedience of faith and thus fulfilled the law. It is by faith in him that both Jews and Gentiles now receive the unmerited gift of justification” (Dauphinais and Levering, Holy People, Holy Land, 195).
3. One Way of Salvation: The way to righteousness and salvation – the obedience of faith in Jesus Christ – is the same for both Jews and Gentiles. There are not two separate paths of salvation, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles, but only one path. We are made righteous “through faith for faith.” We are initially brought into a right relationship with God through faith. This is an unmerited gift. Even our act of faith and trust in God begins in God, who moves our hearts to faith. And our initial faith is called to grow and develop over time. Our Christian faith needs to flourish in love. Paul envisions that the Christian life begins in faith and advances by faith. This is not a completely new teaching, but one rooted and hidden, so to speak, in the Old Testament. And here, Paul cites the prophet Habakkuk, who taught: “The one who is righteous by faith will live” (Habakkuk 2:4). What Paul will argue next is that both Gentiles and Jews are in the same situation of sin. The Gentiles were able to discern God’s existence through creation and were obliged to follow the natural law written on their heart. But instead of worshipping the Creator of all things, they worshipped false gods and creatures. Instead of living a moral life, they fell into impurity and lust: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator” (Romans 1:25).

Tuesday 28th Ordinary Time: 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, do not let me follow the way of foolishness that leads to death and separation from you. Do not let me be a hypocrite. I pray that I may grow in true holiness through the gift of your grace and truly serve my brothers and sisters in need.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Tradition of Washing Before a Meal: On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus accepted the invitation of a Pharisee to dine at his home. The Pharisee, Luke tells us, was amazed that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing before a meal. This washing was not something commanded in the Law of Moses but was a tradition that was observed by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. What the Law of Moses actually prescribed was that priests needed to wash their hands and feet before offering a sacrifice (Exodus 30:17-21). The priests also needed to wash before eating their share of the sacrifice (Numbers 18:11-13). These rules for the priests, however, were extended to all meals by the tradition of the Pharisees, who wanted every meal to be a religious act and a symbol of Jewish identity.
2. Clean Outside and Dirty Inside: Jesus takes the opportunity to reveal the foolishness of the Pharisees. They were meticulous in observing their traditions, but their hearts were far from God. They cleaned the exterior of their dishes and cups, but interiorly, they were filled with evil. Jesus teaches that, instead of being filled with plunder and unrighteous wealth, the Pharisees ought to be detached from earthly treasure, give alms to the poor, and be clean interiorly. All three things are important. It is good to give alms and follow God’s precepts, but only when we are filled and empowered with God’s grace and virtue are those good actions meritorious for salvation and eternal life.
3. Faith Working through Love: In the Letter to the Galatians, Paul compares the Old Law of Moses to a yoke of slavery. This slavery is opposed to the freedom that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout his letter, Paul argued that accepting the yoke of the Law of Moses as a requirement for salvation is to reject Christ as the sole foundation of our redemption and spiritual life (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 339). Paul also teaches that faith alone is insufficient to justify the sinner. Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to work through and flourish in grace-empowered works of charity and love. If our faith does not manifest itself and bear fruit in merciful love, then it is a dead faith that cannot justify or save us or keep us in a right relationship with God.

Tuesday 28TH ORDINARY
Đối với Thiên Chúa điều nào quan trọng hơn, bàn tay sạch bế ngoài hay cái sạch từ bên trong, trong tâm hồn của chúng ta. Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu quở trách những người Pha-ri-si đã chấp chứa những tư tưởng xấu xa mà làm cho ô uế cả tâm linh, như tham lam, kiêu ngạo, ghen ghét, hờn dận, tự kiêu, và ham muốn vật chất. Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta tha thứ là một việc bác ái tự đến từ tấm lòng nhân hậu, thuơng yêu. Có những người trong như có vẻ bề ngoài, phô trương nhưng đó chỉ là những thứ giả hình, mà không phải thật sự. Có những thứ giả hình nhìn bề ngoài chúng ta không thể nhận ra, nhưng nếu nhận xét từ bên trong lòng họ đầy những giả dối . Họ cố chấp và không bao giờ biết tha thứ. Do đó, họ không bao giờ tha thứ cho người khác. Tâm hồn chúng ta vẫn còn nặng thù hận, cố chấp, chưa biết tha thứ là được bắt nguồn từ những thói quen của chúng ta tự cho mình là trung tâm của vũ trụ. Khi chúng ta không thể nghĩ xa hơn chính chúng ta, chúng ta không

Reflection Luke 11:37-41
Which is more important to God? Clean hands or a clean mind and heart? In the Gospel reading today, Jesus chided the Pharisees for harboring evil thoughts that make us unclean spiritually such as greed, pride, bitterness, envy, arrogance, and the like.
            Jesus didn’t care much for what people might say or what is politically correct, whether we like it or not. These are not criteria on which Christians should base their decisions. Jesus clearly condemns double morality, which clearly seeks convenience or deception, as He said in Gospel: “you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools” (Lk 11:39).
            God's word, as usual, questions us about customs and habits of our daily life, when we end up converting trivia into “values”, to disguise our sins of arrogance, selfishness and conceit, while attempting to “globalize” morals with political correction in order to avoid being out of tune or being marginalized.
            There is time our hearts are still bitter and heavy, tempt us want to revenge rather than forgive.
- Un-forgiveness is rooted in our habit of thinking self-centered thoughts.
- When we cannot think beyond ourselves we cannot forgive.
            When we freely give and give generously to those in need we express love, compassion, kindness, and mercy. And if our heart is full of love and compassion, then there is no room for envy, greed, bitterness, and the like. Let us allow God's love to transform our heart, mind, and actions toward our neighbors and others.

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên
Qua bài Tin Mừng chúng ta Chúa Giêsu đã từ chối những đòi hỏi người Do Thái yêu cầu đó là làm các phép lạ hay đưa ra những dấu lạ đương thời cho thấy để họ tin. Nhưng Ngài đã chỉ cho họ biết về những dấu lạ riêng của Ngài qua hình ảnh ôngGiona và những lời cảnh báo của Giona!
Ma quỷ cũng có đòi hỏi những việc như thế, trong khi ngài ăn chay và bị cám dỗ, Chúng đã thử lòng Ngài và xúi ngài ném mình xuống từ đỉnh cao của đền thờ (Lc. 9-11). Chúa Giêsu đã khiêm tốn và hạ mình, Ngài đã không thực hiện những đìều lạ và kỳ diệu để phô trương quyền năng và sức mạnh của Ngài.
Hôm nay, chúng ta đã chứng kiến cảnh đám đông người đã vội vàng xô lấn nhau để tới phiên mình "chữa bệnh" và họ mong muốn rằng sẽ nhìn thấy phép lạ chữa lành của Chúa được xảy ra ngay trước mắt họ!
Phần chúng ta hôm nay, Chúng ta hãy tự hỏi chính mình coi, Sự cải hoá cá nhân của chúng ta có phải là một nhiệm vụ cấp bách đối với chúng ta? Dấu hiệu của Giô-na có ý nghĩa gì đối với chúng ta, và chúng ta phải làm thế nào để đáp ứng với những lời Chúa Giêsu cảnh cáo chúng ta hôm nay.
Lạy Chúa, Chúa đã Chết đi và đi vào trong lòng đất ba Ngày như ông Giôna đã sống trong bụng cá voi ba ngày, Và chính Chúa đã sống lại hiển vinh để cứu rỗi và cho chúng con có được cuộc sống mới trong Chúa. Xin Chúa Hướng Hẫn và Thánh Hoá chúng con, để chúng con được sống đời với Chúa trên nước Thiên Đàng.

Reflection Monday 28 Ordinary Time
When we are very busy, yes, even obsessed with ourselves, we are unable to see goodness in others, (outside ourselves). God is surely present and active in our life, our world. It takes courage to burst out of our own selves to behold his presence and plan in and through others. Yet there are many signs of his presence and love; but if we are not open for him in others, we will suffocate in our own selves. The presence and call of God are very real in our life, history and the world. The Ninevites were outside Israel, yet they listened to Jonah’s preaching, and responded to God’s call to repentance: from the king to the last animal!
Jesus refuses his contemporaries their request for a sign, other than his own person and message he proclaimed, and the person of Jonah and his preaching! The devil too had such a demand in asking Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple (Lk. 9-11). Jesus refuses to make any show of such feats of power. Today, we witness crowds who rush to “healing” sessions, eager to see miracles of healing happening before their very eyes! Is personal conversion an urgent task for us? What does the ‘sign of Jonah’ mean to me, and how do I respond to Jesus

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke 11:29–30
Imagine a homily beginning with these words: “This generation is an evil generation…” Such a proclamation would surely draw attention and perhaps provoke outrage. Yet these are the very words our Lord spoke to a growing crowd. The “generation” Jesus condemned was not defined by chronological birth within a specific era. Rather, it referred to a spiritual generation—a collective mindset of hardened unbelief. Specifically, it referred to those descendants of Abraham who had been entrusted with the Law and the Prophets and who awaited the coming of the Messiah, but failed to recognize Him when He arrived. The irony is tragic.
God had initiated a covenant with Abraham, which passed to his son Isaac, then to his grandson Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Israel’s twelve sons became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes. During a time of famine, Israel and his family migrated to Egypt, where Joseph had risen to a position of power second only to Pharaoh.
As the generations passed, the Israelites multiplied and became a threat to the Egyptians, who enslaved them. God then raised up Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from bondage. During their forty years in the wilderness, God revealed His covenant to Moses and gave the people the moral, liturgical, and civil laws now contained in the Torah—the first five books of the Bible.
When the forty years were complete, God led them into the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership—a land flowing with milk and honey, the region we identify as modern-day Israel and its surroundings. There, the twelve tribes settled, and Saul was anointed as the first king, uniting the tribes under a monarchy.
The Law given through Moses became the foundation of Israel’s national and religious life. Priests from the tribe of Levi offered sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem, and scribes and scholars interpreted and applied the Law in daily life. Yet despite the covenantal privileges they enjoyed, many in Israel repeatedly turned away from the Lord. God, in His mercy, sent prophet after prophet to call His people back, and though there were moments of renewal, apostasy often returned. Over time, Israel was repeatedly conquered and oppressed due to the people’s infidelity. By the time of Jesus, they lived under Roman occupation and longed for the Messiah promised by the prophets.
It was into this religious and historical context that Jesus entered and revealed Himself as the promised Messiah. He confirmed His identity not only by words but by miracles. Given their sacred heritage, one would expect the people of Israel to have recognized and received their Savior. Tragically, many failed to do so. Why? Because their hearts were closed to grace. They expected signs on their terms, not God’s. And so, Jesus rebuked them.
This warning is not confined to the past. It speaks just as clearly to us, the spiritual descendants of Abraham. It resounds in every age. Our generation is no less tempted to demand signs from God while remaining spiritually indifferent, turning from fidelity to His New Law of Grace. We may cling to religious structures or identity while failing in a true conversion of heart. The real question is not whether Jesus was addressing them—but whether His words also speak to us. It’s fair to say that His words transcend time and apply to many today.
Reflect today on the spiritual condition of your soul. Are you among the faithful who respond to the call of repentance? Or are you among those who act like God’s children but ignore His will? Today, just like when Jesus preached, God is here. He is here in the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the life and teachings of the Church. Open your heart today and believe, refusing to be part of this evil generation.
My Lord and Messiah, I believe You are here, in our midst, calling us to repent and to be faithful to the Gospel. Please open my eyes to see You and my heart to profess You. May I never be a part of the evil in this generation, one that professes You with their lips but ignores Your commands. Jesus, I trust in You.

Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to speak your truth and reveal your wisdom. Give me a heart like the Ninevites, ready to repent when I hear your word. Like the Queen of Sheba, draw me to sit at the feet of Christ and listen to him. May I recognize that someone greater than Jonah and Solomon is here.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Old Jonah and the Call to Repentance: In the Gospel, Jesus first points to Jonah, the reluctant prophet who was sent to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Israel’s enemy, Assyria. Jonah initially fled from God’s command, but after being delivered from the depths of the sea, he finally proclaimed God’s message. The people of Nineveh believed his preaching and repented of their sins. Jesus says that Jonah himself was a sign to the Ninevites, but now something greater than Jonah is present. Jesus is not merely another prophet calling people to repentance. He is the Son of God who has come to save sinners. His call to conversion is therefore even more urgent. The Ninevites repented when they heard Jonah, but many who heard Jesus refused to repent even though God himself was speaking to them.
2. The Old Solomon and the Search for Wisdom: Jesus then points to Solomon and the Queen of the South. The queen traveled a great distance to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and after listening to him, she praised the Lord. Solomon possessed extraordinary wisdom because God had given it to him, but Jesus declares that someone greater than Solomon is here. Jesus does not merely possess wisdom received from God; he is the eternal Word of God through whom all things were made. The Queen of Sheba crossed great distances to hear the wisdom of Solomon. We need not travel anywhere to encounter Christ. He comes to us in his Word and, above all, in the Eucharist. Yet we can sometimes be less eager to listen to Jesus than she was to listen to Solomon.
3. The New Jonah and the New Solomon: Jonah and Solomon both foreshadow Jesus in their ministry to the Gentiles. Jonah preached repentance to Nineveh, while Solomon shared his God-given wisdom with the Queen of Sheba. Jesus fulfills both missions in a far greater way. He calls all nations to repentance and gives them the wisdom of God. More than this, Jesus accomplishes what Jonah and Solomon could never accomplish. Through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, he wins forgiveness for our sins and opens the way to new and eternal life. The sign Jesus gives is ultimately himself. We do not need another sign. We need to recognize who stands before us, believe his word, repent of our sins, and follow him.

Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke 11:29–30
Do you ever find yourself looking for signs from God? Often when we go through life, navigating through the ups and downs we all experience, we can easily find ourselves looking for signs from God about what we should do about this or that. And though God certainly communicates to us at times through special graces that are signs from Heaven, the passage above gives clarity to what sign we must be most attentive to.
The simple message in this Gospel passage from our Lord is that we must discover the meaning of the most profound sign ever given and use that as the foundation of all our decisions in life. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not only the source of eternal life, they are also the clearest sign we need as we make all of our decisions in life.
A sign is some action that reveals a deep and hidden mystery. One mystery that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection reveals is that if we are to share in the new life won for us by His Cross, then we must follow the example He set by living a life of selfless sacrifice, laying down our lives for others, so that they will discover and embrace the new life of Christ’s Resurrection. Practically speaking, if you find yourself looking for answers in life, seeking signs from God about what you should do at times, then turn your eyes to the life of Christ and ponder ways in which you can more fully imitate His life in every daily practical decision you make. This is true whether you are discerning some important decision in life or some small practical decision.
It is common to engage in such a discernment by looking at ourselves in a more selfish way. It’s difficult to move away from this line of thinking, but if we are to use the “sign” of the Son of Man, then we will discern our life decisions very differently. When we use the life, death and resurrection of our Lord as the source of our discernment and decision making in life, then we will end up making decisions that imitate His selfless sacrifice of love. So if you are faced with a decision, you will not ponder what is easier or what you prefer; rather, you will ponder what is more selfless and best for others. What is it that best imitates the sacrificial love of Jesus?
Reflect, today, upon any decision you are trying to make. Then reflect upon how you are going about this decision. Do you use the witness Jesus gave to us as the foundation of your discernment? Do you reflect upon how you can lay your life down as a sacrificial gift for others? Do you look at love from the point of view of the Cross of our Lord and strive to imitate His glorious and selfless dedication to the salvation of those whom He loves? Seek to imitate our Lord, using the witness of His actions as the foundation of all of your discernment and decisions in life, and you will have discovered the only true sign you need to navigate the challenges of life.
My perfect Lord, every decision You made in life was made out of love and was in accord with the perfect will of the Father. Give me the grace I need to make every decision in life in imitation of Your perfect example. May my life imitate You as You laid down Your life for others. I choose You and Your glorious sacrificial life as the sign by which I am directed in life. Jesus, I trust in You.

Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, do not let me follow the way of foolishness that leads to death and separation from you. Do not let me be a hypocrite. I pray that I may grow in true holiness through the gift of your grace and truly serve my brothers and sisters in need.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Give Alms and Everything Will Be Clean: Jesus’ teaching about almsgiving in the Gospel is rooted in the Old Testament. The Book of Tobit teaches: “almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin” (Tobit 12:9). This is echoed in the Book of Sirach, which says: “alms atone for sins” (Sirach 3:29). Jesus was dining at a Pharisee’s home and needed to correct the Pharisee’s understanding of being pure and clean. Almsgiving cleanses inner defilement and accomplishes what ritual washings cannot (see Martin, Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 333). This was an important teaching because the Pharisees were so influential in Jesus’ day. The religious program of the Pharisees was actually at odds with Jesus’s inauguration of the New Covenant. The Pharisees thought that they could be faithful to God by separating themselves from all Gentile impurity and defilement. They thought that this would lead to God intervening and saving them from Roman oppression. “They looked to the Temple and priests of Jerusalem, considering the elaborate purity requirements for priests (Leviticus 21-22) a fitting model for Jewish purity in the homes of laypeople. All Israelites, the Pharisees reasoned, should maintain this high level of priestlike holiness in their personal lives” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1792). The Pharisee in today’s Gospel was shocked that Jesus didn’t follow the prescribed washings. He showed that he was oblivious to the real holiness, innocent purity, and high priesthood of Jesus. And Jesus takes the opportunity to correct the Pharisee and teach that it is not through ceremonial washings that one becomes pure and holy, but through giving oneself to others in charity.
2. The Gospel according to Paul: In the First Reading, Paul proclaims that he was not embarrassed to spread the Gospel. He wants the whole world – Jews and Gentiles – to come to know the saving message of Jesus Christ. “At the heart of Paul’s letter to the Romans is the gospel, the good news of salvation that was ‘promised beforehand’ (Romans 1:2). The people of Israel have longed to hear this good news. For Paul, the gospel is the culmination of God’s promises to Abraham and David: God has fulfilled these promises through Jesus” (Swafford and Cavins, Romans: The Gospel of Salvation, 9). Unlike what Martin Luther thought, the Jewish people did not believe in works-righteousness, i.e., that their obedience to the Law of Moses earned them the right to salvation. Instead, Judaism “firmly believed that the election of the Jews was an unmerited blessing from God (see Deuteronomy 9:4-7). Obedience to the law was the free response to God’s invitation to holiness. The initiative for salvation came squarely from the side of God, not the Jews themselves. By saying that the Jews have already been under the obedience of faith, Paul shows that the key for the Jews’ membership in the covenant was the faith in God expressed through obedience to his law. Jesus Christ perfectly embodied this obedience of faith and thus fulfilled the law. It is by faith in him that both Jews and Gentiles now receive the unmerited gift of justification” (Dauphinais and Levering, Holy People, Holy Land, 195).
3. One Way of Salvation: The way to righteousness and salvation – the obedience of faith in Jesus Christ – is the same for both Jews and Gentiles. There are not two separate paths of salvation, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles, but only one path. We are made righteous “through faith for faith.” We are initially brought into a right relationship with God through faith. This is an unmerited gift. Even our act of faith and trust in God begins in God, who moves our hearts to faith. And our initial faith is called to grow and develop over time. Our Christian faith needs to flourish in love. Paul envisions that the Christian life begins in faith and advances by faith. This is not a completely new teaching, but one rooted and hidden, so to speak, in the Old Testament. And here, Paul cites the prophet Habakkuk, who taught: “The one who is righteous by faith will live” (Habakkuk 2:4). What Paul will argue next is that both Gentiles and Jews are in the same situation of sin. The Gentiles were able to discern God’s existence through creation and were obliged to follow the natural law written on their heart. But instead of worshipping the Creator of all things, they worshipped false gods and creatures. Instead of living a moral life, they fell into impurity and lust: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator” (Romans 1:25).

Monday 28^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for making me your child and gracing me with true freedom. Teach me to use my freedom properly to grow in love and holiness. Do not let me fall into my old ways of sin, but remember always how good it is to dwell in your house.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Sign of Jonah: In the Gospel, Jesus refers to the story of Jonah and invites us to contemplate the parallels between Jonah’s story and his. Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. Three days later, he was vomited ashore by the fish and was restored to life by God. The Book of Jonah implies that Jonah did not remain alive for three days and nights in the fish. Jonah died and went to the realm of the dead. His prayer reads: “I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried” (Jonah 2:2). “Thus, when the fish vomits Jonah out onto the land, it is vomiting up his corpse.” The first word to Jonah on the shore is “arise.” “This is the same Semitic word that Jesus uses when he raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead. … In other words, the story of Jonah is the story of his death and resurrection” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 188). After his death in the sea and restoration to life, Jonah preached in the great city of Ninevah, the capital of the Assyrian empire, which was one of Israel’s fiercest pagan enemies. The Ninevites, Jesus recalls, repented at the preaching of Jonah. And so, the real miracle in the book of Jonah, even more than his restoration to life, is the repentance of the Gentiles (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 188).
2. The Sign of the Conversion of the Gentiles: We can now contemplate how the story of Jonah is recapitulated and surpassed by the story of Jesus. Jesus was cast into the earth after dying on the cross for us. He was swallowed into the “heart of the earth” for three days. On the third day, he rose from the dead and sent his apostles to preach the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. Peter and Paul both preached in Rome, the capital of the Roman empire. In due time, the Gentiles of the Roman Empire embraced the Good News, repented from the former ways, and became followers of Christ. “It is not just [Jesus’] resurrection from the dead that will be a reason for believing in him. It is also the inexplicable conversion of the pagan nations of the world – the Gentiles. As Jesus says: the pagans ‘repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here’ (Matthew 12:41; Luke 11:32). In Jonah’s case, only one Gentile city repents, and that only for a time. In Jesus’s case, countless Gentile nations, cities, even empires would go on to repent, cast away their idols, and turn to the God of Israel” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 189).
3. Paul’s Allegory about the Old and New Covenants: In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul interprets the story of Hagar and Sarah allegorically. He says that the two women, each giving Abraham a son, represent two different covenants. Hagar, a slave woman, represents the Old Covenant mediated by Moses on Mt. Sinai and practiced in the earthly Jerusalem. Sarah, a freeborn woman, represents the New Covenant mediated by Jesus on Mt. Zion and symbolized by the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul uses the allegory to argue that the Galatians, who have embraced salvation and justification through faith in Jesus in the New Covenant, should not add the burdensome requirements of the Old Covenant to the New and submit themselves to them. The Judaizers, who are promoting this addition of Old Covenant ceremonies, dietary restrictions, and social norms to the New, are trying to turn the Galatians away from the Gospel preached by Paul and inviting them to embrace once again the yoke of slavery. Paul’s Gospel, by contrast, proclaims that we are children of God born into the freedom and blessedness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.