For there is no
distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness because of the
forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God–to
prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and
justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:22b-26
“Woe to you, scholars
of the law! You have taken away the key
of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter
and you stopped those trying to enter.”
Luke 11:52
Piety
"I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over
the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object
of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire." Ignatius of
Antioch
Study
How pleasant Jesus is to his hosts! He gets right down to brass tacks. St. Luke reports no small talk or compliments
delivered when Jesus sits down to eat with the Pharisees. He takes them to task and speaks “truth to
power.” The bold Jesus at the dinner
table is in marked contrast to the humble Jesus of Good Friday who does not
defend himself before Herod and Pilate.
Clearly “all have sinned.”
As St. Paul reminds us in the first reading, the key to escaping from (or
being forgiven of) our sins is faith in Jesus.
To exemplify that we have to 1) hear what he has to say and 2) act upon
it. Just because these scholars of the
law may have studied the prophets and achieved an elevated status in society,
does not mean they have any special key to heaven or exemption from trials here
on earth.
That key will be given to Peter whose faith will be tested
mightily by the powers that be. But
Peter’s reaction is different from what we learn today. The change we see in Peter is in stark
contrast to the lack of change that the Pharisees exhibit following the
encounter in today’s scripture. Despite
repeated warnings from Jesus every time he sits down with them, the Pharisees
do not change. They dig in their heels
to protect the status quo or their power and position. Peter gives up everything and follows Jesus
all the way to his own cross.
Action
Who can resist putting the lessons of today in contrast with
the example of the emerging papacy of Francis and to the bickering happening (and
ending for now) in Washington? The
lesson of today reaffirms the rejection that Pope Francis displays for the
trappings of power and the acceptance of his mantle to protect the
vulnerable.
What does it mean or matter for you and I? We have no power in the political or ecclesial
sense beyond our day-to-day actions. This
always brings me back to the Ideal talk on Friday morning of a Cursillo
weekend. We can only answer this by how
examining we use our time, talent and treasure.
Tonight, the men of the 127th Weekend will report
for “Cursillo” duty at the San Damiano Retreat House. Pray
that the Ideal talk falls on open ears.
Take out your notebook from the weekend and review that talk in the spirit
of Christ, Peter, Paul and St. Ignatius of Antioch – all examples for us of
rejecting power today for glory tomorrow.
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