Readings: Ephesians 1:1-10, Ps. 98:1-6, Luke 11:47-54
“He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:4)
Who is a Christian? St. Paul answers in today’s first reading: A person blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places; chosen in Christ to be holy and blameless; destined in love to be united to God in the fullness of time.
A Christian is different, not like everybody else. A Christian is chosen for holiness, to shine a light – to give the world an example. As Jesus says: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide… If you were of the world, the world would love its own, … you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world…” (John 15:16-19). To be holy is to be set apart from the world.
With the Spirit of God living inside you, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you have what it takes to live a blameless life. You have power over your flesh and its desires. You only need to believe that you are not powerless against the urgings of your flesh and that you are blessed beyond measure.
To say holiness is impossible, or that it is not easy to live differently from the world, is like the proverbial beggar sitting on a stool of pure gold yet asking passers-by for crumbs. The truth is, once you say something isn’t easy, you have already accepted defeat. With that mindset, you have paralysed yourself. Have you explored all your spiritual potential? What if you stop focusing on your weakness and explore the rich depth of goodness within you?
St. Paul tells us that in Christ, we have been redeemed, forgiven of our trespasses, and destined to be united with God forever. Stop looking down on yourself because of your past. Today is a new day. Repent and start afresh again.
Jesus is unhappy with the Pharisees and lawyers because instead of leading people to God, they did the opposite. Jesus’ stern condemnation of these religious leaders calls us to examine our conscience seriously. Am I a light for the world or just part of the darkness? Does my life inspire people to do good or evil? Am I a good leader?
The Pharisees adorned the tombs of prophets martyred for speaking the truth, but they hated Jesus for calling out their evil deeds. Jesus told them they were about to repeat their ancestors’ mistakes, but the blood of the martyrs would still be avenged. Jesus also condemned the lawyers because they knew the truth but refused to live by it, keeping others from entering heaven.
After Jesus said these things to them, “the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.” (Luke 11:53-54). Rather than look inward to repent, they were determined to kill Jesus for daring to tell them the truth. Truth always sounds like an insult when we are guilty, but we can only grow by accepting it and working to change our ways.
St. Teresa of Avila, born in 1515 in Avila, Spain, is a celebrated Catholic saint. Raised by a devout father and a mother who loved stories, Teresa balanced a strict upbringing with a lifelong fascination with tales. As a teenager, her rebellious nature led her father to place her in a convent. Though she was initially reluctant, Teresa eventually embraced religious life and found comfort in her devotion to God.
Even though the convent was not as disciplined as she wished, Teresa remained steadfast in her faith. She struggled with prayer for eighteen years, facing numerous distractions and illnesses, but ultimately overcame these challenges. Through her deep practice of mental prayer, which she described as a close friendship with God, Teresa experienced profound spiritual joy and mystical moments. She remained humble, seeing her spiritual gifts not as personal rewards but as tools for her devotion.
At 41, a renewed spiritual awakening inspired Teresa to intensify her prayer life and start reforming the Carmelite order. Despite resistance from within and outside the Church, she founded St. Joseph’s convent and promoted a life of simplicity, poverty, and dedicated prayer. Her writings, including her autobiography, offer honest, deep insights into her spiritual path and prayer, enriching Catholic theology.
St. Teresa’s legacy continued after her death on 4 October 1582, at age 67. As the founder of the Discalced Carmelites and the patron saint of headache sufferers, her symbols, the heart, arrow, and book, represent her passionate faith and lasting impact on Christian mysticism. She was canonised in 1622.
Let us pray: O God, who through your Spirit raised Saint Teresa of Jesus to show the Church the way to seek perfection, grant that we may always be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching and fired with longing for true holiness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saint Teresa of Ávila, Virgin, Doctor. Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: Ephesians 1:1-10, Ps. 98:1-6, Luke 11:47-54)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu