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MODERN-DAY PHARISEES

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Gospel Reading for October 16, 2026 – Luke 12: 1-7

MODERN-DAY PHARISEES

At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees. “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

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Perhaps there are very few people in the world who would not fear murderers or members of groups operating in the underworld or engaged in criminal activities. For Jesus, however, this fear is secondary to the fear of those who can lead us astray—those who have managed to convince others that what has always been morally right is wrong, and what is wrong is now morally right.

Jesus is not merely speaking about the Pharisees. We have MODERN-DAY PHARISEES who manipulate the Word of God to serve their personal interests or promote their advocacies that run counter to the teachings of Jesus and Sacred Scripture.

If we are to be true Christians who wish to enjoy eternal life with God someday, we have to be wary of these people. They are the ones we must avoid because, although they cannot kill us physically, they can kill us spiritually.

Lord Jesus, help us to always seek the truth in Sacred Scripture and in the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.

TRULY UNDERSTAND

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Gospel Reading for October 15, 2026 – Luke 11: 47-54

TRULY UNDERSTAND

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.

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“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.”

The scholars of the law lacked the knowledge needed to TRULY UNDERSTAND the Laws of God, and worse, they prevented others from gaining that knowledge. Jesus’ teachings provided a simple yet profound understanding of the Laws of God, and yet, they refused to accept his teachings. Worse still, they refused to accept him and plotted to destroy him.

It is very dangerous to interpret the Laws of God and the Word of God according to our own understanding. We need enlightenment from the Holy Spirit and openness to the teachings of the Church. We cannot use our own interpretations, especially to satisfy or justify our own needs. We shall be accountable to the One who gave the Laws and the One who speaks the Word.

Lord Jesus, may we always be aware that we are but instruments and not interpreters of your Laws and your Word. Amen.

BLIND GUIDES

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Gospel Reading for October 14, 2026 – Luke 11: 42-46

BLIND GUIDES

The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues band greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

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During Jesus’ time, touching a grave would make a person ritually unclean for seven days, preventing them from entering the temple to worship God. Hence, people avoided graves, and the Jews often painted tombs white so they would be easy to spot and avoid.

Therefore, when Jesus compared the Pharisees to unseen graves, he meant that people who listened to and accepted their teachings unknowingly became unclean.

It is no wonder that Jesus seemed to have lost patience with the Pharisees. Who would not? As Jesus described in Matthew 23:16–19, they were BLIND GUIDES who led people astray through their hypocrisy.

This was a serious matter for Jesus, who came to be the Saviour, because how could people be saved if they listened to the Pharisees? How could the Pharisees themselves be saved when they did not even understand what salvation meant?

When we examine the way we live our lives, are we leading people to Jesus, or are we leading them astray?

Lord Jesus, may we be truly Christians in word and in deed. Amen.