Readings: St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

First Reading

 

First Reading: Galatians  5:18-25

Brothers and sisters: 
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: 
          immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, 
          sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, 
          outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, 
          dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, 
          drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. 
I warn you, as I warned you before, 
          that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
          patience, kindness, generosity, 
          faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 
Against such there is no law. 
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh 
          with its passions and desires. 
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. 

Responsorial Psalm

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps  1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R./ Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Blessed the man who follows not 
          the counsel of the wicked 
Nor walks in the way of sinners, 
          nor sits in the company of the insolent, 
But delights in the law of the Lord 
          and meditates on his law day and night. 
R./ Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

He is like a tree 
          planted near running water, 
That yields its fruit in due season, 
          and whose leaves never fade. 
          Whatever he does, prospers. 
R./ Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Not so the wicked, not so; 
          they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 
For the Lord watches over the way of the just, 
          but the way of the wicked vanishes. 
R./ Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Holy Gospel

 

Gospel Introduction
        It is surprising that Jesus could cure all ills - the blind, the deaf, lepers, yes, and also sinners aware of their failures. But he could not cure Pharisees and scribes from their "open-eyed" blindness. Jesus does perhaps not attack them so much for their literal observance of the last detail of the law but for getting so absorbed by the details of the law that they did not see the roots of all laws, justice and love. This is also the key teaching of Paul in his letter to the Galatians: not laws but the Spirit.

Gospel Reading: Lk 11:42-46

Jesus said, "A curse is on you, Pharisees; for the Temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and the other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. This ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other. A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. A curse is on you for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people don't notice them and make themselves unclean by stepping on them."

Then a teacher of the Law spoke up and said, "Master, when you speak like this, you insult us, too." And Jesus answered, "A curse is on you also, teachers of the Law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves don't move a finger to help them."