Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 25, 2024
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.”
When we think of Christ, we often consider him an amiable, mild-mannered moral teacher: a Jewish man who loved and healed everyone, approving of people just the way they were. However, Christ’s tone in today’s gospel passage reflects anything but the typical depiction of Jesus we might think of on a Christmas card or devotional image.
Today, Christ bluntly calls us out on our baloney and shoots straight, using simple images of the weather and the courtroom to clarify his point. As students, we use our critical thinking to answer complicated math problems on our exams, make predictions about data, analyze the meaning of a poem, and accomplish all sorts of complex assignments. However, when it comes to our actions, we often don’t judge rightly. We fail to recognize how our sins can harm ourselves and others.
Christ is speaking to a crowd aware of the prophecies of the Messiah. He asks them, “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” The signs, wonders, and teachings he performed should have made it evident to the crowds that the Savior was in their presence, and his preaching about how to live their lives was the key. He called them to higher virtue, not allowing them to justify their faults.
Acting wrongly harms ourselves and our relationships with others. Jesus tells us that we have no excuse for our sins because he has sent signs and is still sending us signs that he came to help us be freed from them. If we don’t settle with our opponent—our consciences—then we will be judged and thrown into prison, paying back in full whatever way we have sinned. How often do we fail to judge rightly in our lives? How often do we ignore God’s warnings to change our ways? Have we asked for God’s forgiveness today?
Prayer
All-knowing God, we see all around us the signs of your will in our lives. At times it may be difficult for us to recognize for ourselves what those signs point us towards. Grant us the grace we need in order to know your will, the wisdom to understand it, and the strength to carry it out. May our efforts to know your will lead us not into pride and self-importance, but give us an ever greater love for you, who reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. John Houghton was the first of England’s martyrs to be killed under King Henry’s revolt from the Catholic faith.
John was born in 1486 and educated at Cambridge. He joined the Carthusian order of monks in 1515, and in 1531 was elected to lead the community’s monastery in London.
Three years later, King Henry VIII enacted the Act of Succession, which attempted to legitimize his second marriage and the children it produced (namely Elizabeth, who was later to become queen). The act was accompanied by a requirement that all subjects swear an oath recognizing it and the king’s supremacy.
As the act stood in contradiction to Church teaching on marriage and divorce, John requested an exemption for his community. He was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
After several months of imprisonment, a compromise was reached that allowed Catholics to take the oath in good conscience by adding the phrase, “as far as the law of Christ allows.”
Soon afterwards, however, Henry declared himself the head of the Church of England with the Act of Supremacy. Again, all subjects were forced to swear an oath to acknowledge this second act; John and several other Carthusian leaders refused and asked for an exemption. They were arrested by Thomas Cromwell and thrown into prison again. In 1535, they were condemned to death, and on May 4 of that year, they were hanged, drawn, and quartered; John was the first to suffer.
They were taken to the place of their execution while still wearing their habits. St. Thomas More, also imprisoned for refusing the oath, could see John and his fellow Carthusians being drawn (dragged) by horse to their fate. Thomas’ daughter was visiting at the time, and he said to her, “Look, Meg! These blessed Fathers be now as cheerfully going to their deaths as bridegrooms to their marriage!"
After being hanged nearly to death, and before being quartered, the executioner tore open John’s habit to expose his chest. John exclaimed, “O Jesus, what would you do with my heart?”
John was the first Carthusian martyr, and the first among the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales. The 40 Martyrs are representative of the hundreds of Catholics who were tortured and killed in this dispute between England and the Church between 1535 and 1679. In 1970, the Church selected 40 from among these martyrs—men and women, laypeople, ordained, and religious—to represent the 300 or so who died. In Wales, these saints are honored today; in England they are celebrated on May 4.
St. John Houghton, you gave your heart to Jesus and your life for the truth—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. John Houghton is in the public domain. Last accessed October 4, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
