Gospel: Luke
11:47-54
(Jesus 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.
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Reflection:
Why were the
prophets killed? For example John the Baptist, why was he killed? Because he
courageously spoke about the truth no matter who gets hurt! During that time John
was enjoying a respectable status until he denounced the immorality of King
Herod.
Therefore
from respectability John was scorned, imprisoned and eventually beheaded. What
a frightening end for a prophet of God but this is the role of the prophet: To
speak about the truth no matter who gets hurt! Because in speaking about the
truth we change lives, we correct errant behaviors and we create awareness that
evil deeds will not get away unnoticed.
We too
could become a prophet when we are not afraid to speak about the truth no
matter who gets hurt. When we present Jesus not only as a miracle worker and a
God of prosperity. For example, we also present Jesus as someone who would
invite us to carry our burdens and our life’s trials.
It’s so
tempting to always package Jesus as a God of miracles, abundance and prosperity.
But this is not the totality of Jesus because Jesus also went through sacrifices and trials
without which there would have been no triumph over the cross and there would
have been no salvation.
What would happen to a follower when he/she
encounters trials if he/she only know Jesus as a God of prosperity? He may not know how to deal with his trials
and the worst case scenario is he/she may even blame Jesus for his/her trials.
We should
therefore not forget to also present Jesus as someone who will bring us trials and
hardship. This is for the reason that it is only through our trials that we get
to have a deeper intimacy with Him.
Are you
going through hardship and trials right now? It has a purpose, none other than
for you to be aware of the abiding presence of Jesus in your life. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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