17 September 2025 (Wednesday)
Wednesday of week 24 in Ordinary Time or Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church.
Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:
First Reading : 1 Timothy 3:14‐16
At the moment of writing to you, I am hoping that I may be with you soon; but in case I should be delayed, I wanted you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, attested by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the pagans, believed in by the world, taken up in glory.
Responsive Psalm : Psalm 110(111):1‐6
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the meeting of the just and their assembly. Great are the works of the Lord, to be pondered by all who love them.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Majestic and glorious his work, his justice stands firm for ever. He makes us remember his wonders. The Lord is compassion and love.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
He gives food to those who fear him; keeps his covenant ever in mind. He has shown his might to his people by giving them the lands of the nations.
Great are the works of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 7:31‐35
Jesus said to the people: ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market‐place: “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges,cand you wouldn’t cry.” ‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’
For our reflection today:
It is actually the ruling class to close the doors to the way that God wants to save us. In this sense “the powerful dialogues between Jesus and the ruling class of his time are understandable: they argue, they put him to the test, they lay traps to see if he falls”, because they have “resistance to being saved”. In confronting this attitude Jesus says to them: “I don’t understand you! You are like those children: we played the flute for you and you didn’t dance; we sang a sad song for you and you didn’t weep. What do you want?”. The answer is again: “We want salvation to be done our way”. It comes back to this “closure” to God’s modus operandi. It is “a tragedy”, which “even each one of us has inside”. For this reason he offered several questions for examining the conscience: “How do I want to be saved? My way? According to a spirituality that is good, that is good for me, but that is set, having everything defined and no risks? Or in a divine manner, that is, on the path of Jesus, who always surprises us, who always opens the doors for us to that mystery of the almighty power of God, which is mercy and forgiveness?”. (Pope Francis, Santa Marta, 3 October 2014)
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