28th Week in Ordinary Time
16th October 2023 (Monday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Romans 1:1-7
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 (R. 2a)
R/. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Today, harden not your hearts, but listen to the voice of the Lord.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 11:29-32
At that time: When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Evil generation!
Guidlines: We are called by God with a singular mission of “bringing about the obedience of faith for the sake of Christ among all the nations”{alertSuccess}
1. St Paul at the very beginning of his letter to the Romans clarifies certain essentials like his vocation, his identity, his mission, the ingredients and the aim of this mission, et cetera. It is Christ who grants the grace of vocation. It is a consecration, being set apart for a specific purpose.
2. It is a call to belong to Christ and to be a servant of him. This is the vocation and identity. And this is for a mission, and that is to be an apostle, to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations.
3. Accordingly, Paul is ever conscious of this call. He underwent a sincere and sacred experiment and experience of repentance and conversion. He is always open and docile to the dictates of his master. He is fully sensitive to sense every sign of God’s grace. He believes and experiences Christ as the supreme channel of grace and also as the greatest sign from God.
4. But, in contrast, in the gospel, we find that Jesus’ own people reject him. The reason is, they lost the awareness of the sacredness of their call. They lost the sense of their identity as the chosen people of God. They lost sight of the dignity and duty of their mission, which is to be agents of faith among all the nations. They lost the spirit of repentance and conversion.
5. In fact, all his miracles and healings were powerful signs of God’s power and caring intervention into their lives. All his preaching and teachings were effective signs of the assurance of God’s love and mercy.
6. And he himself is the greatest and most authentic sign of God’s love and power. Yet, still, they demand signs. They refuse to believe in him. They do not accept him. They do not repent and convert themselves. Instead, they resist, they confront, they criticize and persecute him.
Practice: Are we any different from the unbelieving Jews who do not trust Jesus but test him? They do not accept in openness but refuse in stubbornness. They do not surrender to God in humility but demand in arrogance. Are we also the “evil generation”?{alertSuccess}