St. Paul of the Cross, priest 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

 Romans 4: 13, 16-18

 If God promised Abraham, or rather his descendants,

that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the Law, but because he was just and a friend of God through faith. For that reason, faith is the way and all is given by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the Law, but also for all the others who have believed.

 braham is the father of all of us,  as it is written: I will make you the father of many nations.  He is our father in the eyes of Him who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence what does not yet exist, for this is the God in whom he believed.

Abraham believed and hoped against all expectation, thus becoming the  father of many nations, as he had been told: See how many will be your de­scendants.

 

Ps  105  The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 12: 8-12

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before people, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.  But the one who denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

There will be pardon for the one who criticizes the Son of Man, but there will be no pardon for the one who slanders the Holy Spirit.  When you are brought before the synagogues, and before

governors and rulers, don’t worry about how you will defend yourself or what to say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say.”

 

Reflection gospel：

“THERE WILL BE NO PARDON FOR THE ONE WHO SLANDERS THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

In the film “Francesco,” an episode showed the Holy Father Francis, then Archbishop of Argentina fondly called Padre Jorge, eating a meal with a family after celebrating mass in a slum area. In the course of the meal, he commented, “you’re sharing your food with us.

That means you’re sharing your heart as well.” After he said this, the lady of the house started crying and left the table. The husband said she has been crying every night for two weeks already. Padre Jorge followed her, talked to her, and discovered that she aborted her baby.

The words of Padre Jorge to her were heartwarming: “God is mercy. He knows you regret it from the bottom of your heart, I’m sure he’ｓ　forgiving you right now.” God is mercy. God forgives.

But why are sins against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven? Remember that the work of the Holy Spirit is to inspire, to open up the heart, and to dispose the person to God and to the values of God.

It is possible for a person to refuse the Holy Spirit and his work. When this happens grace and enlightenment cannot penetrate. Unlike the lady in the story, this person will have no sense of regret, no sense of morals, and no sense of sin.

It is not that God will not forgive; people like this will feel no need for it and thus, by their own will, they have brought condemnation upon themselves.