Wednesday, October 15, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

(Romans 2:1-11: Luke 11:42-46)

In her reform of Carmelite nuns, St. Teresa of Ávila had her critics.  She understood the need to return to basics. The sisters were living under such relaxed conditions and with such intrusions from the outside that the monastery was hardly monastic at all.  But some sisters preferred the status quo and denounced her to the Inquisition. Nevertheless, the reform started in her own convent and then spread to others. 

Teresa’s trajectory parallels Jesus in the gospel.  He too led a reform of Pharisaical Judaism.  He criticizes the Pharisees for faking a positive impression while they overburden the poor.  He calls the Pharisees “like unseen graves” because they appear as firm ground that could be trusted.  But in truth they are more like a plot of earth with a corpse buried beneath that will eventually give way to despoil those who step on it. The Pharisees, of course, could not tolerate such criticism.

Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees may be extended to some clergy today.  Priests must take care that they not only teach sound doctrine but that they also give example of true holiness.  Like Jesus, they should advise those who transgress God’s will to reform their lives.  Even more important, priests should exhibit true expression of love for God by devotion to prayer and kindness to all.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 2:1-11; Luke 11:42-46)

The English word hypocrite is derived from a Greek word of similar pronunciation.  The ancient form designated people who interpreted their situations to determine how they were going to act.  Thus hypocrites were those who changed their attitudes and actions according to their own interests.   Hypocrisy, the state of the hypocrite, thus befits an actor but not everyday people.  Both St. Paul and Jesus in today’s readings take aim at hypocrites.

Paul has Jews in mind when he writes, “You, o man, are without excuse.” He has finished his critique of pagan morality and now turns his eye to Jewish behavior.  He finds his own nation pretending to live righteous lives when they act similarly to pagans.  Jesus sees the Pharisees as equally pretentious.  They feign holiness with concern over the fine points of religious observance.  They miss the purpose of religion which is to give God glory by imitating His goodness. 

Followers of Christ avoid hypocrisy.  Paul tells us later in the letter to the Romans that we need the grace of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this aim.  Luke shows us in his two volume masterpiece of Luke-Acts that the grace comes through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.  Still we have to want it, pray for it, and to work with it when it duly arrives.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and Doctor of the Church

 

(Galatians 5:18-25; Luke 11:42-46)

 

St. Teresa of Jesus, perhaps better known as Teresa of Avila, lived at a time of laxness in religious life.  It is not hard to imagine the kinds of abuses – nothing that would be scandalous today but niceties that impede the Lord’s discipleship: frequent self-dismissal from prayer, a hearty table at all meals, gossiping throughout of the day.  Teresa could not stomach the betrayal of ideals and began to reform convents where such practices were carried on.  Like Jesus in today’s gospel Teresa would have harsh words for those who exploit their religious state of life.

 

Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scholars of the Law for what might be called false religion.  Religion is defined as the love of God to which, Jesus claims, the Pharisees pay no attention.  Yet they want to be seen as doing so.  Scholars of the Law are no better in Jesus’ eyes.  They give strict interpretations of the Law which put great burdens on those who labor every day.  Perhaps they can be compared to pastors who insist that parishioners pay a literal tithe – one tenth of all earnings – to the Church.  It is fine for households making $200,000 a year but impossible for families earning only $20,000.

 

We who go to daily mass (or who read the Scriptures of the daily mass) must take care that we do not act like the Pharisees.  We want to encourage others to make sacrifices for God not with condemnation but with understanding.  If we truly love God, we will care about His people.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Galatians 5:18-25; Luke 11:42-46)

In the gospels Jesus seems to have a running battle with Pharisees. But we should not think that Pharisees are necessarily his enemies. As he has done before and will do again in Luke’s gospel, Jesus in today’s passage is dining at the home of a Pharisee. Obviously there are some differences of outlook, but Jesus also holds much in common with Pharisees. We may validly suppose that some of the criticism in the gospels of Pharisees stems not so much from Jesus’ time but from the time of the evangelists when Pharisee-like Christians were bearing down hard on others.

Catholics even today, like some Pharisees of Jesus’ time and Christians of the first century, sometimes pay too much attention to details and too little to the gospel message. Some go to church checking to see if the holy water fountains are filled rather than reviewing the Mass’s readings. Others like to gossip about the pastor’s use of a profanity without noticing their sin of detraction.

In today’s gospel Jesus compares the nit-picking Pharisees to “unseen graves.” He means to say that they are already dead because they do not accept the love of God which brings life. St. Teresa of Avila, less somberly but with the same impatience, once prayed, “God save us from sad-faced saints.” Both she and Jesus realize that righteous living is not so much frowning on other people’s sins as turning to God in thanksgiving for our blessings and praying for those in special need of help.

Homilette for Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Avila, virgin and doctor of the Church

(Luke 11:42-46)

In the gospels Jesus seems to have a running battle with Pharisees. But we should not think that Pharisees are necessarily his enemies. As he has done before and will do again in Luke’s gospel, Jesus in today’s passage is dining at the home of a Pharisee. Obviously, Jesus has some differences of outlook, but he also holds much in common with Pharisees. We may profitably suppose that some of the harsh criticism in the gospels is not so much Jesus’ for the Pharisees of his time but the evangelists’ for Pharisee-like Christians a generation later.

Catholics today, perhaps like some Pharisees of Jesus’ time and Christians of the first century, sometimes pay too much attention to details and too little to the gospel message. Some go to church checking to see if the flowers by the altar are freshly cut or artificial. (In order to prevent cheap imitations Church rubrics have called for fresh flowers by the altar.) Others might gossip about the profanities used by their pastor without realizing that they might be committing a graver sin of detraction.

In today’s gospel Jesus compares the nit-picking Pharisees to “unseen graves.” He means to say that they are already dead because they do not accept the love of God which brings life. St. Teresa of Avila, less somberly but with the same impatience, once prayed, “God save us from sad-faced saints.” Both she and Jesus realize that righteous living is not so much frowning on other people’s sins as turning to God in thanksgiving for our blessings and praying for those in special need of help.

Homilette for Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Wednesday, XXVIII Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

(Luke 11:42-46)

It sometimes seems that Jesus had a running battle with Pharisees. He always seems to be criticizing them. So it is important to note that in today’s gospel Jesus is at dinner in the home of a Pharisee as he has been before and will be again in Luke’s gospel. Obviously, Jesus has some differences of outlook, but he also shared much in common with Pharisees. We may profitably suppose that some of the harsh criticism of the gospels is not Jesus’ for the Pharisees of his time but the evangelists’ for Pharisee-like Christians a generation later.

Christians today, including Catholics, like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, may pay too much attention to details and too little to the gospel message. Some go to church checking to see if the flowers there are actually freshly cut or artificial. (In order to prevent cheap imitations Church rubrics have called for fresh flowers by the altar.) Others might report the profanities used by a minister of the Church without realizing that they might be committing a graver sin of detraction.

Jesus compares the nit-picking Pharisees to “unseen graves.” He means to say that they are already dead because they do not have the love of God which gives life. Jesus with perfect judgment did not condemn all Pharisees, and we should be that much less given to criticism. Rather, we should make every effort to display the love of God that fills our hearts with the Holy Spirit.