Even to this day we have prophets amongst us who are moved to speak God’s word into our hearts, so that we may live fully according to His Word and Will for us. Yet how many of them have we received with open hearts?
Often they are met with much scepticism and disdain. Some may even say to others he or she is just pretending to be holy and righteous. Even their utterance of healing taking place is simply a ‘show’. If he or she is true then why am I not blessed? Not healed? And so on….
Yet all these negativity does not change the reality; that if we believe and know that Jesus Christ our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. Heb 13:8 Then we also know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Rm 8:28 Therefore sisters and brothers if we live according to our call as His priest, prophet and king; then we are the ones sent into the world praise the glory of His grace upon us. And we are therefore called to share that grace with all whom we meet. We must recognise this grace in one another, for we are One Body in Him. Amen
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First reading
Ephesians 1:1-10 ·
Before the world was made, God chose us in Christ
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, to the saints who are faithful to Christ Jesus. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind purposes,
to make us praise the glory of his grace,
his free gift to us in the Beloved,
in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
Such is the richness of the grace
which he has showered on us
in all wisdom and insight.
He has let us know the mystery of his purpose,
the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning
to act upon when the times had run their course to the end:
that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head,
everything in the heavens and everything on earth.
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Gospel
Luke 11:47-54
You have not gone in yourselves and have prevented others who wanted to
Jesus said: ‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.
‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others going in who wanted to.’
When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.
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