29th Week in Ordinary Time
27th October 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 1
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Romans 7:18-25a
Brethren: I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Psalm 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94 (R. 68b)
R/. Teach me your statutes, O Lord.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little children the mysteries of the kingdom.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 12:54-59
At that time: Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: Discern the signs!
Guidlines: Men of today claim to be intelligent and capable persons who can unravel and control so many things of nature. But how much are they able to control and direct themselves?{alertSuccess}
1. People of today pride themselves on their ability to discover and control many things. They claim to read the signs of time and organize their life accordingly. They believe that they are competent experts in understanding and interpreting the realities. They also strongly think that they enjoy abundant freedom.
2. There is certainly no doubt about progress and advancement. But such a development is only uneven and ill-proportioned. There is no holistic growth. Especially in terms of integrity and spirituality, social responsibility, and commitment, there is so much inadequacy and failure.
3. The word of God in both readings brings our attention to this disharmony and disproportion. In tune with the words of Paul in the first reading, men may be externally free, that is they are not under any form of slavery. But how much they are under the slavery of sin? Sin dwells in them. They do not do the good they want, but the evil they do not want is what they do.
4. This is the same tone of Jesus. He questions the dichotomy and shallowness of people’s abilities. Many are capable of reading the signs of the time in terms of seasons and climatic conditions of nature like heat and rain.
5. But why do not understand and judge for themselves what is right? While they try to gain control over external things, why don’t try to gain control over themselves and their lives?
6. In specific reference to his mission, why don’t the people understand God’s invitation to realize and repent over their sinfulness? Why do they resist and reject his call to free themselves from sin and turn to God? Why do they lose sight of the eternal damnation that will be the result of such unbelief?
Practice: Human intelligence and capacities are good and useful as they help to increase our understanding and ease of living. But how much do they help us to understand and live better as good human beings?{alertSuccess}