Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 15 October 2026
XXVIII Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Teresa of Avila
Eph 1:1-10; Lk 11:47-54
The Frustration of a Prophet
Today’s Gospel brings to a close the scene in which Jesus speaks strong words during the meal. When we read one “woe” after another and then say, “The Gospel of the Lord,” we may feel a certain discomfort within us.
The Pharisee who invited Jesus may have felt hurt. He may even have regretted inviting Him. He may also have had to face the anger of the other guests. Jesus seems to have spoiled everyone’s mood at the table.
We should be careful when we take all these “woe” sayings simply as the exact words of Jesus. When the evangelists composed the Gospels, they may also have written in the light of the problems faced by their own communities.
As the early Christians gradually distanced themselves from their Jewish identity, they may have faced opposition from Pharisees, scribes, and experts in the Law. It is possible that some of these strong sayings were preserved and presented in the light of those conflicts.
At the same time, we can also understand them as the words of a prophet who is deeply frustrated.
The passages in which Jesus criticises the Pharisees can make many people uncomfortable. Students sometimes ask: if Jesus taught love even for enemies, why did He not show love towards the Pharisees who opposed Him?
How can we understand these strong words of Jesus?
(a) Pointing out what is wrong is part of the prophetic mission. Ministry or prophetic service is not only about preaching love and mercy. It also includes identifying what is wrong and calling for correction. We should not condemn persons. But we must be able to condemn what is wrong. Jesus points out their faults because He wants what is wrong to be corrected.
(b) It is a call to conversion. By pointing out their faults, Jesus calls them to change. He wants them to leave hypocrisy and false living behind and return to truth. His strong words are not spoken simply to insult them, but to awaken them.
(c) These faults must not enter the community of His disciples. By pointing out the mistakes of others, Jesus also warns His own disciples. The same faults found among the Pharisees and experts in the Law could easily arise within the community of disciples. So His words are also a warning to those who follow Him.
The strong words of Jesus do not always lead His opponents to conversion. Instead, they increase their anger. Jesus knows the consequences of His words, yet He continues on His way.
In today’s first reading, we hear the opening of the Letter to the Ephesians. Paul speaks about the plan that God has for everyone.
Our purpose is to discover the plan God has for us and to live according to it.
Today we celebrate Saint Teresa of Avila, one of the Doctors of the Church. Her famous work is The Interior Castle. She gave great importance to reading. She often said that a day without reading a book was a day wasted. Her contemporaries called her “andarina,” one who is always on the move. She wrote that while walking, she came to know herself, and that she discovered her strength even through her weakness. At a time when many forms of prayer were being developed, organised, and institutionalised, Teresa offered a different understanding to her sisters.
She told them that prayer means knowing oneself and speaking to God, in one’s own words, about the feelings of the heart. Teresa wrote that sometimes she felt like a lion and at other times like an ant.
She was able to accept both her strength and her weakness. As we celebrate this Doctor of the Church today, let us be encouraged to read more, and also to accept the two sides of our own life: strength and weakness.
Our being and our journey are part of the plan God has had for us from before the foundation of the world.
To discover that plan and to live it out must become our daily task. The first step is to enter our own interior castle.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
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