“You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” (Lk 11:52)
FIRST READING: EPH 1:1-10
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the holy ones who are in Ephesus
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY: LK 11:47-54
From the Gospel according to Luke
The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute’
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
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.”
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
28TH THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Lk 11:47-54)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God the Father reminds and warns the leaders in the Church, as well as His prophets and priests that when they have been chosen by God the Father, appointed by Him to govern His Church and to shepherd His flock, they must have love and must fulfill the duties He has given them.
They must be a shining example for the sheep, they must be the first to do what God the Father commands, which is to worship and love God the Father above all else, and to have mercy and compassion for all their brothers and sisters, especially for the sheep God the Father has sent to them.
God the Father does not want His shepherds to fall prey to Satan's temptations of hatred, jealousy, selfishness, division, envy, and rivalry. Instead, He wants them to have a gentle heart, be humble and put charity at the forefront.
God the Father wants to call on today's shepherds not to fall into Satan's traps anymore, but to escape their clutches.
It is because satan will find every way to restrain the shepherds so that they cannot escape from their passion and darkness for power, position, fame, material things, and worldly pleasures in this world.
God the Father wants the Shepherds to be vigilant to Satan's temptations so that they will not fall into the same trap as the priests and scribes who persecuted Jesus and the prophets and messengers God sent to help humanity return to Him.
God the Father wants the shepherds to live and do what He desires, not to hide the key to understanding and the graces that He gives.
They should give those graces to their sheep so that through that channel of grace, their sheep can also enjoy the saving light of God the Father.
God the Father wants to tell shepherds today, as well as His leaders in the Church and society, that all the graces He gives, must also be given and distributed to the souls of other brothers and sisters, to help them return to God the Father.
For anyone who wants to enjoy the love and light of God the Father, that person must likewise know to share, know to give, and sacrifice himself.
As Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for humanity in the past, today, God the Father also wants His leaders to know to sacrifice themselves to bring many souls to Him.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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