October 12, 2026
Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 467
Reading 1
Galatians
4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1
Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 2) Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to
them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101226.cfm
Commentary on
Galatians 4:22-24,26-27,31—5:1
Today’s passage actually begins with a verse not in our
reading:
Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will
you not listen to the law? (Gal 4:21)
By this Paul is invoking the witness of the Scriptures. To
inherit the promise, it is not enough to be just a descendant of Abraham, as
Ishmael (Abraham’s son by Hagar) was. It is necessary to be descended as the
result of promise, like Isaac; it is necessary to be a spiritual descendant,
not just a genealogical one. Hence for Paul, Isaac’s birth prefigures the
rebirth of Christians.
Paul uses the examples of two of Abraham’s wives, Hagar and Sarah,
to illustrate the difference between the Jews who were following the Law of
Moses and Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, who follow the law of Christ.
Hagar was a slave woman while Sarah was a free woman and the
wife of Abraham. In the beginning Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was barren, so he took
the slave girl, Hagar, who gave him a son, Ishmael. It was only later, when she
was already past child-bearing age that Sarah bore Isaac. The difference
between them, according to Paul, is that Ishmael was born “according to the
flesh”, that is, in the ordinary course of nature and without any special
intervention on God’s part.
Sarah, however, had been barren into her old age, and the
child she eventually bore was the result of a special promise that God had made
to Abraham about his descendants. That promise only applied to Isaac and his
descendants. (Hence, the significance of Abraham’s total trust in God when he
was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, and was ready to do so.)
The point Paul is making is that it is not enough to be
descended from Abraham, as Ishmael and many Jews could claim. He sees in the
two mothers symbols of the two covenants:
One woman…is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children
for slavery.
Paul refers to it as an “allegory”, not in the sense that it
was not historical, but that Paul is using the story to illustrate the
theological truth he is sharing with the Galatians.
The first covenant Paul identifies was that made on Mount
Sinai between God and Moses. But Paul says, its children (the “present
Jerusalem”) are now to be regarded as slaves, slaves of a Law that cannot save
them. This is in contrast with the messianic Jerusalem, to which, as Isaiah
foretold, “all the nations shall stream…” (Is 2:2). This is the Jerusalem which
the prophets proclaimed—a Jerusalem not of laws, rituals and holocausts, but a
Jerusalem which created a society of truth and justice for all.
The second covenant, however, belongs to this second
Jerusalem, what Paul calls the “Jerusalem above”. The rabbis taught that the
“Jerusalem above” would come down during the time of the Messiah. It is, in
Paul’s eyes, the place where Christ reigns as King and whose citizens are his
followers, in contrast to the “present Jerusalem”. It is this “Jerusalem above”
which is the “mother” of the Christians.
Paul quotes from Isaiah’s joyful promise to Jerusalem:
Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children…
Jerusalem “bears no children” because her children are in
exile. Paul applies Isaiah’s joyful promise to exiled Jerusalem to the
gathering of believers through the gospel, by which ‘Jerusalem’s children’ have
become many.
Paul tells the Galatian Christians—both Jews and
Gentiles—that they are children not of the “enslaved woman” (of the Law), but
of the “free woman” (the Spirit of Jesus). There is no need for them to
continue following the old ways of the Law. To do so is to renounce the freedom
which came to them in Christ.
The purpose of Christ’s liberating death was precisely to
make us free. To go back under the Law would be to return to a way that is
equivalent to a form of slavery. Human beings must choose either Christ or the
Law as author of salvation. The freedom spoken of here is freedom from the yoke
of the Law. The burden of the rigorous demands of the Law as the means of
gaining God’s favour makes an intolerable burden for sinful man. As Peter said
at the Council of Jerusalem when the acceptance of Gentiles into the Christian
community was being debated:
…why are you putting God to the test by placing on the
neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able
to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we [the Jews] will be saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:10-11)
It is important for us Christians to be aware that following
Christ and the gospel is meant to bring real freedom into our lives. If we do
not experience our being Christian as liberating, then there is something
lacking in our understanding of what the gospel is about. One gets the
impression that many Catholics do not have any real sense of liberation,
although their faith may give them a measure of security—at a price. They have
replaced the Law of Sinai for another set of legalities (“If I do this, is it a
sin?”). It has to be said, too, that some pastors have preached a gospel heavy
with rules and regulations and threats of sin and damnation.
Some see being a Christian as a matter of having to observe
all kinds of restrictions which ‘other people’ are not obliged to follow. Some
have been heard to say things like, “Oh, I wish I had not been baptised!”
For this reason, some remain riddled with guilt because they
consistently feel they are not living up to the requirements of their religion.
Others rid themselves of this guilt by leaving the Church altogether, saying:
“Now that I am no longer a Catholic, I am not bound by that nonsense any more;
I don’t have to go to church on Sunday; I can have sex with anyone I like,
whenever I like” and so forth.
Others see virtue in ‘denying themselves’ and ‘making
sacrifices’, giving up the ‘freedom’ that other people seem to have in order
‘to save their souls and go to heaven’.
There is no question of doubting the sincerity of such
people, but it is sad that somehow they have not learnt or been taught that the
true Christian is a truly liberated and free person. To be free is not simply
doing just what one feels like doing. Such an attitude inevitably leads to
self-destruction and certainly not to happiness and fulfilment. To be free is
to be effectively able to follow the good.
That good we believe is found in the vision of life that
Jesus proposes and which he personally followed. It is not a way just for
Christians; it is a way for people everywhere. It is the vision of the
Kingdom—a world of truth and goodness and justice and mutual respect for all,
without exception—a Way that leads to God. A world where God, people and the
world are living in a beneficially harmonious relationship.
Commentary on Luke
11:29-32
Jesus has just said (last Saturday’s reading):
Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and
obey it! (Luke 11:28)
Now, with large crowds pressing around him, he throws out a
warning which indicates that not many are hearing the word in the sense of
accepting and following it:
This generation is an evil generation…
Why? Jesus says this generation is evil because it keeps
asking for a sign by which he can prove his credentials. Today he says the only
sign they will be given is the “sign of Jonah”.
Jonah was a sign from God to the people of Nineveh, a pagan
city which heard his message, repented and was reconciled to God. Jesus too
comes on a mission from God (“as the Father has sent me”) and he will find a
hearing—not from many of his own people, but from Gentiles.
So, Jesus says, the “queen of the south will rise in
judgement” on the present generation for she, a gentile outsider, came from a
long distance to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. But Jesus, who now faces this
generation, is far greater than Solomon. The “queen of the south” is the queen
of Sheba, whose visit to Solomon is recorded in the First Book of Kings (1 Kgs
10:1-10).
Similarly, the people of Nineveh, the great pagan and wicked
city, will stand in judgement over the present generation because:
…they repented at the proclamation of Jonah…
And now:
…something greater than Jonah is here!
But they refuse to listen to him.
There is always a danger that we take our faith for granted.
Worse, we may even feel we are in a superior and safer position than others not
of our faith or denomination. The fact that we carry the name ‘Catholic’ is not
enough. Baptism and the reception of the other sacraments is not by itself a
guarantee of our salvation. What counts is that we hear, understand, accept and
assimilate the word of Jesus and carry it out at every moment of our lives.
https://sacredspace.com/commentary
Monday,
October 12, 2026
Ordinary
Time
Opening Prayer
Lord, our help and guide, make
your love the foundation of our lives.
May our love for you express itself in our eagerness
to do good for others. You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Luke 11: 29-32
The crowds got even bigger and Jesus addressed them, 'This
is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given
is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh,
so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.
On Judgement Day the Queen of the
South will stand up against the people of this generation and be their
condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon; and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here.
On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this
generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented;
and look, there is something greater than Jonah here.
Reflection
The Gospel today presents a very hard accusation of Jesus
against the Pharisees and the Scribes. They wanted Jesus to give them a sign,
because they did not believe in the signs and in the miracles which He was
working. This accusation of Jesus continues in the Gospels of the following
days. In meditating on these Gospels, we have to be very attentive not to
generalize the accusation of Jesus as if it were addressed to the Hebrew
people. In the past, this lack of attention, unfortunately, contributed to an
increase in antisemitism among Christians, which has caused so much harm to humanity
throughout the centuries. Instead of pointing the finger against the Pharisees
of the time of Jesus, it is better to look at ourselves in the mirror of the
texts to discover in them the Pharisee which may live hidden in our Church and
in each one of us, and who merits this criticism from Jesus.
•
Luke 11: 29-30: The sign of Jonah. “At that
time, the people crowed and Jesus began to say: This is an evil generation; it
is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.” The
Gospel of Matthew says that it was the
Scribes and the Pharisees who were
asking for a sign (Mt 12: 38). They wanted Jesus to work a sign for them, a
miracle, in such a way that they could become aware if He was the one sent by
God, as they had imagined. They wanted Jesus to submit himself to their
criteria. They wanted to fit Him into the framework of their own idea of the
Messiah. There was no openness for a possible conversion in them. But Jesus did
not submit himself to their request. The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus, before
the request of the Pharisees sighed profoundly (Mk 8: 12), probably because He
was upset and sad in the face of such blindness. It serves nothing to try to
show a beautiful picture to a person who does not want to open their eyes. The
only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah. “For just as Jonah became a
sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this
generation.“ How will this sign of the Son of man be? The Gospel of Matthew
responds: “For as Jonah remained in the belly of the sea-monster for three days
and three nights, so will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three
days and three nights” (Mt 12: 40). The only sign will be the resurrection of
Jesus. This is the sign which will be given in the future to the Scribes and
the Pharisees. Jesus, who was condemned to death by them and to death on the
cross, will rise from the dead by God and will continue to resurrect in many
ways in those who believe in him. The sign which converts is not the miracles
but the witness of life!
•
Luke 11: 31: Solomon and the Queen of the South.
The reference to the conversion of the people of Nineveh associates and recalls
the conversion of the Queen of the South: “The Queen of the South will stand up
against this generation and be their condemnation; because she came from the
ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look, there is something
greater than Solomon here.” This reminder of the episode of the Queen of the
South who recognizes the wisdom of Solomon shows how the Bible was used at that
time. It was by association. The principal rule for the interpretation was this
one: “The Bible is explained by the Bible.” Up until now, this is one of the
more important norms for the interpretation of the Bible, especially for the
reading of the Word of God in a climate of prayer.
•
Luke 11: 32: And Look there is something greater
than Solomon here. After the digression on Solomon and on the Queen of the
South, Jesus returns to speak about the sign of Jonah: “The men of Nineveh will
appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah
preached they repented.” The people of Nineveh were converted because of the
witness of the preaching of Jonah. He denounces the unbelief of the Scribes and
of the Pharisees because “something greater than Jonah is here.” Jesus is
greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon. For us Christians, He is the
principal key for Scripture (2Co 3: 14-18).
Personal Questions
•
Jesus criticizes the Scribes and the Pharisees
who managed to deny the evidence, rendering themselves incapable to recognize
the call of God in the events. As Christians today, personally and
collectively, do we deserve the same criticism of Jesus?
•
Níneveh was converted because of the preaching
of Jonah. The Scribes and the Pharisees were not converted. Today, the calls of
reality cause changes and conversions in people in the whole world: the
ecological threat, urbanization that dehumanizes, consumerism which
standardizes and alienates, injustice, violence, etc. Many Christians live far
away from these calls of God which come from reality.
Concluding Prayer
Praise, servants of Yahweh, praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh, henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113: 1-2)
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