First Reading: (Romans 2:1–11)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 62)
Response: “O Lord, you repay each man according to his deeds.”
Gospel: (Luke 11:42–46)
Reflection
In the Gospel today, Jesus’ words strike deep into the heart of human hypocrisy, the habit of judging others while ignoring our own failings. He condemns the Pharisees and lawyers for outward religiosity without inner conversion, and by extension, He speaks to us who find pleasure in gossip, criticism, and judgment.
If we are honest, we have all taken part in conversations about other people’s faults, who committed what sin, who failed morally, who cheated, or who fell from grace. We listen with curiosity, laugh at their shame, and even add our own commentary. Yet, when we examine our hearts, are we any better?
Each of us has “skeletons in the proverbial closet.” If our hidden sins were exposed, the world would see how much worse we are than those we mock.
Jesus reminds us through His confrontation with the Pharisees and lawyers that silence and humility are better than hypocrisy and judgment. The lawyer who tried to exonerate himself ended up exposing his own guilt. Sometimes, we too provoke divine correction by thinking we are holier or better than others. When pride blinds us, God may allow humiliation to humble us and remind us that holiness is grace, not merit.
When we gossip about others’ sins, we forget the mercy that keeps us standing. As St. Philip Neri once said when seeing a sinner:
“There goes Philip- but for the grace of God.”
A truly holy person never delights in another’s fall. Holiness does not expose; it prays, heals, and restores. The one who laughs at another’s weakness is far from sanctity.
For today's Saint of the Day: St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
Virgin, Mystic, and Doctor of the Church
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Born in Ávila, Spain, she entered the Carmelite order at 20.
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For years, she lived a mediocre spiritual life, until God’s grace led her to seek true holiness.
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Together with St. John of the Cross, she reformed the Carmelites into a more contemplative and disciplined order.
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She was blessed with mystical revelations and deep insights into prayer and union with God.
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Her writings, such as The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, are treasures of Christian spirituality.
She died at 67 and was declared a Doctor of the Church for her profound teachings on prayer and the interior life.
Her life teaches us that even those who begin weak or lukewarm can become saints by surrendering to grace. Just as Teresa was transformed, so too can we, if we stop judging others and allow God to purify our own hearts.
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