October 16, 2025 Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Romans 3:21-30; Luke 11:47-54
St. Paul focuses his argument on the righteousness of God. Does it come from the observance of the Mosaic Law or through faith in Jesus Christ? Paul made a life-changing shift. As a Jew, he had always believed that meticulous observance of the Law was the key. The Law demanded that a believer accomplish many works, about 613 in total: 248 “dos” (positive) and 365 “don’ts” (negative). But now, as someone who has fallen in love with Jesus, he knows that the righteousness of God can only be obtained through faith in Jesus Christ. This is because Jesus Himself is righteous; He justifies the one who has faith in Him.
Paul is also convinced that God, Yahweh, is not only the God of Israel (the circumcised) but also the God of Gentiles (the uncircumcised). Amazingly, both are justified only by faith. It is because of this conviction that Paul argues for the obsolete nature of circumcision.
The Pharisees and lawyers had always been hostile toward Jesus. They acted like moral police, using modern language. They were hypocrites, for their own teaching had no impact on their lives. For example, they honored the tombs of the prophets whom their ancestors had killed, yet they failed to recognize Jesus as the Son of God. The text says that they were “lying in wait for Him, to catch Him in something He might say” (Luke 11:54). This is a matter of a wrong attitude, a failure to recognize the hand of God in Jesus, and ultimately to acknowledge Him as the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus invites them to seriously examine their consciences and take a deeper look within, avoiding duplicity.
We owe our devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the mystic to whom Jesus revealed His burning desire to be honored by people in the Blessed Sacrament.
Call to Action: Examination of conscience is a spiritual exercise that helps us confess our sins and amend our ways. Do we find time to journey deep within ourselves?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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