Reading 1
Rom 3:21-30
Brothers and sisters:Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,though testified to by the law and the prophets,the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.For there is no distinction;all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.They are justified freely by his gracethrough 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 righteousand justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.On what principle, that of works?No, rather on the principle of faith.For we consider that a person is justified by faithapart from works of the law.Does God belong to Jews alone?Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is oneand will justify the circumcised on the basis of faithand the uncircumcised through faith.
Gospel
Lk 11:47-54
The Lord said:“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed.Consequently, you bear witness and give consentto 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 chargedwith the blood of all the prophetsshed since the foundation of the world,from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariahwho 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 Phariseesbegan to act with hostility toward himand to interrogate him about many things,for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
Meditation: Romans 3:21-30
A person is justified by faith apart from … the law. (Romans 3:28)
This is good news! We are made acceptable to God, not by what we do for him but by what he did for us. It’s not because we volunteer at the local women’s shelter, avoid pornography, or fast one day each week that we are pleasing to him. It’s not even because we are faithful spouses and generous contributors to our diocese’s annual appeal. We are pleasing and approved in God’s eyes because he did something first, and we have believed it.
What did God do? He sent his Son, Jesus, to fulfill the requirements of the Law. Dying on the cross, Jesus atoned for each and every one of our sins—for every sin ever committed throughout all time. And through his death, resurrection, and ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has made it possible for us to be in a right relationship with God. Imagine: God himself restores us to the friendship that he longs to have with us!
Don’t you find it amazing that the God of the universe wants to have a relationship with you? Isn’t it astounding that he has chosen to forgive you and restore you so that you can know his love? God wants your heart, however flawed and inconsistent it may be. He wants you to know that meeting him every day in praise, worship, or simple rest delights him no end, because it’s in these times that you can be filled with his grace. And it’s only as we are filled with his grace that we are satisfied in this life—and eager to share that love with the people around us.
So welcome him. Welcome his action in your life. Enter into it as fully as you can, giving him the freedom to love you and lead you. Wherever you sense the Holy Spirit working, answer by saying: “Yes, Lord! Show me more.” Talk to him about his plans for your life. Talk about your dreams or about the things that puzzle or confuse you. Remember: Even if you never did another thing, God would still love you. So let him lead you. Believe that as you seek the relationship first, obedience and service will follow.
“Welcome, Father! Teach me today to receive your love, rejoice in it, and return it to you with all my heart.”
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