Luke 11:47-54

Romans 3:21-30

Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

Luke 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 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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, thank you for calling and sending us your prophets. They are your divine messengers who call us back to you. You do not abandon your people when we are unfaithful, but gently and firmly call us to repentance and conversion.

Encountering the Word of God

1. I will send them Prophets and Apostles: In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus continues his series of six warnings pronounced first upon the Pharisees and then upon the “scholars of the Law.” Jesus warned the Pharisees that they were neglecting justice and love of God, seeking earthly honors, and leading others into impurity. Jesus then warned the “lawyers” or “scholars of the law” that they were placing heavy burdens upon the people, persecuting God’s prophets and apostles, and preventing people from understanding the scriptures and the most important principles of the Old Covenant. The scholars of the law and the generation to which they belonged were ignorant about what was going to happen. They were ignorant about how the past, recorded in Scripture, foretold the future. Just as Jeremiah prophesied to his generation that, because they did not listen to the prophets that God sent them, the Temple and city of Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., so also Jesus is prophesying and warning that “this generation” will not pass away (Luke 21:32) until the Temple and Jerusalem itself are destroyed (Luke 21:5-6, 20-24). This event happened 40 years after the religious authorities in Jerusalem put Jesus to death. In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, signaling the definitive end of the Old Covenant temple sacrifices. The scholars of the law were oblivious to how Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant and inaugurated the New. The scholars took away the key of knowledge concerning the Kingdom of God and were preventing the people they served from entering that kingdom.

2. All, Jews and Gentiles, Have Sinned: One of the main goals in Paul’s Letter to the Romans was to explain how the Old Covenant was brought to fulfillment in the New. In the opening chapters of the letter, Paul has argued that both Jews and Gentiles are in a similar situation of sin and are freed from that situation in the same way. Paul acknowledges the tremendous gifts that were given to Israel, including the oracles or utterances of God (Romans 3:2). This is a way of referring to the entire Old Testament – the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Writings. Despite this gift, the Jews have been unfaithful even though the Lord God has been true and faithful (Romans 3:3-4). Paul concludes that all men – both Jews and Greeks – are under the power of sin (Romans 3:9). Furthermore, the works of the law of Moses – especially the ceremonial laws like circumcision, animal sacrifices, and dietary restrictions – are not able to justify a person; they only give knowledge of sin and not the power to overcome sin (Romans 3:20). The Law defined what is good and evil, pure and impure, holy and profane.

3. A Person is Justified by Faith: How, then, are we made righteous? As Paul says, “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it” (Romans 3:21). The law and the prophets point to the coming of Jesus the Messiah. We are given the righteousness of God, not through the observances of the law, but “through faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22). We are initially justified – put in a right relationship with God – by God’s gift of grace. This grace was obtained for us through Jesus’ work of redemption. Jesus expiated our sins through his sacrifice, and we welcome this redemption through faith. God is righteous and just and justifies the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26). We do not obtain our initial justification through the works of the Old Law but through faith in Jesus Christ. This teaching does not oppose what is contained in the law, but actually supports it. And this is what Paul will try to show in the next section of the letter. In the sacrificial death of Jesus, the old animal sacrifices have been superseded. “Human sin and divine love have made contact in the bleeding and dying of Jesus in such a way that definitive forgiveness is now open to all who believe” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 47).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have the true key of knowledge! You have unlocked the gates of heaven through your passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. Guide me to those open gates and embrace me with merciful love when I stand before you.

Living the Word of God: Am I able to explain the Catholic understanding of the relationship between faith and works? If not, do I need to invest some time studying this so that I can be a good witness to the Gospel? If yes, what can I do to deepen my understanding? Some good resources include Jimmy Akin’s podcast. Brant Pitre, James Prothro, and Michael Barber also have many good materials available for study online.