Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 16 Oct ‘25
Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday
Memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Romans 3:21–30. Luke 11:47–54
Roots of Hatred
In today’s Gospel, we meet Jesus once again at the table of a Pharisee. What began as a simple meal becomes a moment of confrontation. Jesus, who first spoke about true purity, now speaks boldly against hypocrisy, pride, and the double standards of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
His words are sharp and uncomfortable to hear. Many wonder — if Jesus preached love for enemies, why does He now speak so harshly? Where is His gentleness?
To understand this, we must see that Jesus’ strong words are not born of hatred but of love that refuses to be silent in the face of injustice.
Why Jesus Spoke Strongly
(a) Correcting wrongdoing is also a work of mercy.
Jesus’ mission was not only to comfort but also to correct. True love does not remain silent when it sees falsehood. When He exposed the Pharisees’ hypocrisy, Jesus was not condemning people but confronting evil.
We should never condemn persons — but we must name and oppose what is wrong.
(b) His words were a call to repentance.
Every rebuke of Jesus was an invitation to change. He longed for the Pharisees to move from pretence to authenticity, from hardness of heart to humility. His aim was not humiliation but transformation.
(c) A warning to His own disciples.
By pointing out the sins of the Pharisees, Jesus was also warning His disciples not to fall into the same traps — pride, judgmentalism, and hatred. What began among the religious leaders could easily spread among His followers.
Jesus knew His frankness would provoke anger, but He spoke truth nonetheless. He preferred truth with pain to silence with comfort. Even when He foresaw hatred in response, He chose to love courageously.
Paul: Faith over Pride
In the first reading (Romans 3:21–30), Paul explains that we are justified not by our works but by faith in Jesus Christ. This means that our worth before God does not come from superiority, performance, or comparison, but from humble trust in His mercy.
When we believe that we are saved by grace and not by our own goodness, there is no room left for pride or hostility.
Hatred and ill feelings often grow when we compare ourselves to others, when we feel superior, or when we think our way is the only right way. But faith makes us equal — all standing before God in need of mercy.
Paul says clearly: “There is no distinction.” In God’s eyes, Jew or Gentile, strong or weak, righteous or sinner — all are loved, and all are called to faith. When this truth enters our hearts, it destroys pride and softens resentment.
Healing the Heart of Hatred
Hatred never begins outside; it begins within — as jealousy, bitterness, or resentment.
It poisons the heart before it hurts anyone else. The Pharisees’ hatred toward Jesus grew not because He did wrong, but because His truth disturbed their pride.
To get rid of hatred, we must do three things: (a) Name it. Recognize the anger, jealousy, or resentment within. Unacknowledged hatred becomes a secret master. (b) Surrender it.
Offer it to God in prayer. Only the grace of Christ can heal what pride and pain have wounded. (c) Replace it with compassion. Pray for those who hurt you. Help someone in need. Love is not a feeling but a decision to respond differently.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, whom we remember today, received the visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — a heart burning with love, wounded yet merciful. Her devotion reminds us that God’s heart conquers hatred with forgiveness.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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