FIRST READING
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians (Galatians 5:18-25)
Brethren: If you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 1 : 1-2.3.4 and 6 (R. see John 5: l2)
R/. He who follows you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the path with sinners,
nor abides in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord,
and who ponders his law day and night. R.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper. R.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they, like winnowed chaff,
shall be driven away by the wind.
for the Lord knows the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked will perish. R.
ALLELUIA John 10:27
Alleluia. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; and I know them, and they follow me. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Woe to you Pharisees! Woe to you lawyers also! ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 11:42-46)
At that time: Jesus said, “Woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
The concerns addressed by Paul in today’s reading are not different from the concerns that we face in the church and our world today. The sins listed have corresponding virtue that makes the world a better and beautiful place to live in. if therefore our target is heaven, then we must strive to uphold virtue and not mere religious rituals. The rituals of religion could become vitreous acts if we truly think of them and do them in the light of true worship and not a mere religious show in order to gain cheap admiration.