your lives and your commitment are out of step with the kingdom.

“Judge for yourselves what is right,”

 Some in the crowd did, but too many ignored the warnings.

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊                                           

Ephesians 4:1-6

Therefore I, the prisoner of Christ,

Invite you to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love.

 Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the        same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.

 

Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

 Luke 12:54-50-59

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once: ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when the wind blows from the south, you say: ‘It will be hot’; and so it is.

 You superficial people! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don’t understand the present times.  And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit?  

 When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you in prison.  I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Human Paradox

We are living in a kind of world that was unimaginable a few decades ago, thanks to the radical and lightning-fast developments in science and technology. We have amazing mechanisms to detect supernovas in outer space and predict the possibility and intensity of many earthly disasters.

Yet, when it comes to living together as peaceful human communities, we fail to learn from our past mistakes and failures. Even when we know that in war there are no winners, we keep on spending zillions of dollars on military preparedness.

The money that could be used to eradicate hunger from the world. Further, when it comes to discerning matters of the spirit, we live in denial of the existence of God or live as if our earthly life would go on forever, failing to store up treasures in heaven. Jesus calls for better discernment today.