October 24, 2025
Friday of the Twenty-ninth
Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 477
Reading
1
Brothers and
sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the principle
that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members another principle
at war with the law of my mind,
taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Responsorial
Psalm
Psalm 119:66, 68, 76, 77,
93, 94
R. (68b) Lord,
teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the
crowds,
"When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
"Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102425.cfm
Commentary on Romans
7:18-25
Paul today describes an experience which all of us have had.
He senses the tendencies to wrongdoing in himself which are at variance with a
desire to do what is good and right.
As Jesus said to his disciples during his Passion:
…the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
(Matt 26:41)
Paul is speaking of someone still under the empire of sin
and not yet justified by Christ’s grace. In contrast, in chapter 8 of Romans,
he speaks in the name of the justified Christian with the gift of the Spirit
who, nevertheless, is still aware of an inward struggle while on earth. So the
person who does not yet experience the justifying grace of God recognises a
rift between a rational desire for the goodness proposed by the law and one’s
actual performance contrary to the law.
There is a radical opposition between the two. While still
under the law, one is unable to be free from the slavery of sin and the power
of death. But one can only be rescued from defeat by the power of God’s grace
working in oneself through Jesus Christ. A grace that comes through the act of
faith made in Jesus as Lord:
For I know that the good does not dwell within me, that
is, in my flesh. For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the
ability. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I
do.
How often have we not had a similar experience? However,
Paul is not saying that there is no goodness at all in each one of us. But the
goodness we do have so often seems incapable of dealing with the urge to do
what is wrong. And yet, when Paul does something that he does not really want
to do, he senses that it is not his real self, but the sinful urge that lives
within.
Here again, Paul is not denying his personal responsibility
for what he does, rather, he is affirming it. He does something which is in
conflict with his deepest self. And so, this is his constant experience—even
when he desires to do nothing but good, the evil choice is always close at
hand.
For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I
see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive
to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
There is a war going on between his inmost, rational self
and his sensual, pleasure-seeking body. The rational self is the one which
dearly loves God’s law. That law is imprinted on our minds—we all have an
innate hunger for truth and goodness. The sensual, pleasure-seeking self wants
to by-pass the law of truth and goodness, and tries to convince the self that
in pleasure and sensuality there is goodness. Though in reality, we never
choose anything except under some guise of goodness or attractiveness, however
distorted.
In this terrible impasse, Paul cries out for help:
Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this
body of death?
He knows that by himself there is nothing he can do. But he
knows where the answer is:
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
That is where his delivery is to be found. On Paul’s view of
the relationship of the human body with Christ the Jerusalem Bible makes
the following comment:
“Paul is concerned with the body and its component members,
that is to say with the human being as he actually is, a sentient creature,
with a sexual life, because it is in the body that man lives morally and
religiously. The body, though tyrannised by the ‘flesh’, by death, and
therefore a ‘body of flesh’, a ‘body of sin’, and ‘a body of death’, is not
however doomed to perish, as Greek philosophy would have it, but in accordance
with the biblical tradition, destined to live, through resurrection. The principle
of this renewal is the Spirit, which takes the place of the psyche, and
transforms the body of the Christian into the likeness of the risen body of
Christ. Until this ultimate deliverance takes place, the body of the Christian,
provisionally delivered from the ‘flesh’ by its union with Christ’s death, is
even now the home of the Holy Spirit, who produces in it a new life of
righteousness and holiness, which is meritorious, and gives glory to God.”
And Paul concludes:
So then, with my mind I am enslaved to the law of God,
but with my flesh I am enslaved to the law of sin.
On our own, we can never win this war. But with Christ’s
help, which can come directly, but also in a very special way through the
support of a Christ-centred community, I can grow in freedom and overcome these
irrational and destructive instincts. In their place, the values of the gospel
become more and more a reality in my daily living. In the end, I may be able to
say with Paul,
…it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives
in me.
(Gal 2:20)
That is the meaning and the goal of our being baptised into
Christ.
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Commentary on Luke
12:54-59
Today we have two inter-related pieces of advice from Jesus.
It is striking how simple and down to earth are the examples which Jesus uses
to illustrate his teaching.
Here he takes the common phenomenon of the farmer reading
the sky to forecast the weather. With experience, one can become very accurate,
at least in the short-term, forecasting by observing the colour and shape of
the clouds, the direction and strength of the wind and so on. The wind from the
west came from the Mediterranean and so brought rain. The south wind blew from
the desert and so brought hot weather.
First, Jesus asks his listeners, if they are so good at
reading the weather signs, why are they not equally good at reading the signs
that are taking place before their very eyes:
You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and
sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
They were now in the messianic age. Jesus has been
performing one sign after another through the power of his teaching and the
authority that he brings, through the healing of the sick, the feeding of the
hungry, the calming of storms, the liberating of people from evil forces and so
many other miraculous events.
Yet, the people do not seem to be able to see the clear hand
of God in what he does. They follow him with curiosity to see what they may be
able to get for themselves, but very few commit themselves to following him as
disciples.
Second, he asks them:
…why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
He urges them to solve issues here and now instead of
dragging their opponents to court only to find they lose the case and end up in
jail.
If that is wise advice in everyday life, how much more
important to be ready when we come to face the Judge of judges? If we do not
settle our affairs now, in the future it may be too late. Linking this with
what has already been said, it is time for us to read the clear signs of God’s
call coming through Jesus and to respond by a change of heart and behaviour
(Greek, metanoia). Then, with no evidence to incriminate us, we
will have nothing to fear from the Judge on that day of reckoning and
accounting.
Bringing all this down to a more earthly level, we might say
that in our own time, we live in an age that is litigation-crazy. In many
situations, both sides often end up the losers (but not their lawyers!). The
bitter aftermath can last for years.
There may be times when recourse to a court is the only way
to see justice done, but very often, disputes are best worked out between the
parties involved. For example, for many, the pain of marriage breakdowns can be
vastly increased by litigation, and can be a source of long-lasting bitterness,
especially where the arguments are over large—or even small—amounts of
property.
As Christians, we need to develop a real sense of justice as
shown by wanting the best for all concerned. Forgiveness and reconciliation
should be a high priority for us. There should be no place in our lives for
sheer vindictiveness or, perhaps worse, simply a desire to make someone suffer
more cruelly than we have.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o1296g/
Friday,
October 24, 2025
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God,
our source of power and inspiration, give us strength and joy
in serving you as followers of Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 12: 54-59
Jesus said again to the crowds, 'When you see a cloud
looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And
when the wind is from the south you say it's going to be hot, and it is.
Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is
it you do not know how to interpret these times? 'Why not judge for yourselves
what is upright? For example: when you are going to court with your opponent,
make an effort to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the
judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer have you
thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the
very last penny.'
Reflection
The Gospel today presents the
call on the part of Jesus to learn to read the Signs of the Times. This was the
text which inspired the Pope John XXIII to convoke the Church to be more
attentive to the signs of Time and to perceive better the calls of God in the
events of the history of humanity.
•
Luke 12: 54-55 - Everybody knows how to
interpret the face of the earth and of the sky... “When you see a cloud looming
up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when
the wind is from the south you say it’s going to be hot and it is.” Jesus
reports a universal human experience. Everybody and each one, in his own
country or region, knows how to read the face of the sky and of the earth. The
body itself understands when there is threat of rain or when the time begins to
change: “It will rain.” Jesus refers to the contemplation of nature since it is
one of the most important sources of knowledge and of experience which he
himself had of God. It was the contemplation of nature that helped to discover
new aspects in faith and in the history of his people. For example, rain which
falls on the good and the bad, and the sun which rises on the upright and on
the unjust, helped him to formulate one of the revolutionary messages: “Love
your enemies!” (Mt 5: 43-
45).
•
Luke 12: 56-57 - ..., but they do not know how
to read the signs of the time. And Jesus draws the conclusion for his
contemporaries and for all of us: “Hypocrites!” You know how to interpret the
face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these
times? Why not judge for yourselves what is upright? Saint Augustine said that
nature, creation, is the first book that God wrote. Through nature, God speaks
to us. Sin mixes up the letters of the book of nature and, because of this we have
not succeeded in reading God’s message printed in the things of nature and in
the facts of life. The bible is the second book of God, it was written not to
occupy or substitute Life but to help us to interpret nature and life and to
learn again to discover the calls of God in the facts of life. “Why not judge
for yourselves what is upright?” Sharing among ourselves what we see in nature,
we will be able to discover God’s call in life.
•
Luke 12: 58-59 - To know how to draw lessons for
life. “When you are going to court with your opponent, make an effort to settle
with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you
over to the officer and the officer have you thrown into prison I tell you, you
will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.” One of the points on
which Jesus insists most is reconciliation. At that time there were many
tensions and conflicts among the radical groups which had different tendencies,
without dialogue: Zelots, Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians... No
one wanted to give in before others. The words of Jesus on reconciliation which
require acceptance and understanding enlighten this situation; because the only
sin which God does not forgive is our lack of forgiveness toward others (Mt 6:
14). This is why he advices to seek reconciliation before it is too late! When
the time of judgment comes, it will be too late. When there is still time try
to change life, behavior and way of thinking and seek to act justly (cf. Mt 5:
25-26; Col 3: 13; Ep 4: 32; Mk 11: 25).
Personal Questions
•
Read the signs of the Times. When I listen or
read the news on TV or in the newspaper am I concerned to perceive the calls of
God in these facts?
•
Reconciliation, to be reconciled is the most
insistent request of Jesus. Do I try to collaborate in reconciliation between
persons, the races, the people, the tendencies?
Concluding Prayer
To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the
world and all who live there; it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, on
the flowing waters fixed it firm. (Ps 24: 1-2)
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