The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, October 13, 2005
The Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Romans 3:21-30
Psalm 130:1-6
Luke 11:47-54

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

...the Wisdom of God said, "I will send prophets and apostles, some of whom they may kill or persecute." (Luke 11: 49)

Paul's letter to the Romans states that we gain the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, our Savior, Who offers us new life as a gift of grace. He emphasizes this to counter the teachings of the religious experts of his day who stressed works as the means of achieving righteousness in God's eyes and salvation. St. Paul is telling converts to Christianity that simply fulfilling a long list of empty rules, performing external works, was useless. Faith is not merely a state of mind, blind belief; faith is also a condition of the human heart that has been touched by God and so enabled to reflect His love to others.

It was a wonderful stroke of irony on the part of God who used the murderous act of the religious leaders against Jesus as the means of bringing salvation to humanity. Sadly, the blind heartlessness of these men who lived selfishly, in self-righteousness rather than in the righteousness of God, hindered or delayed many from entering His kingdom. In keeping with recorded history, once again the innocent were deprived and left to suffer along with the guilty who had separated themselves from God's life and salvation.

We are reminded of the truth learned from St. James' epistle when he wrote, "Faith without works is dead." We can now validly add from today's readings that "works without faith" are also dead.

Father God, may Your love, exercised in keeping with Your will, always impel our works, thereby causing their recipients to be drawn to You to praise Your goodness and generosity. Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)