The righteous and the unrighteous seem to be the common thread that runs through the readings for mass today. What is interesting about the first reading, the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans though (3:21-30), is how Saint Paul calls attention to the fact that none of us can be righteous on our own. He said “all have sinned are deprived of the glory of God.” He goes on to explain that sinners like us, are justified by grace alone. Our redemption is through Jesus Christ alone.
Protestants often use the scripture verses in today’s first reading for mass to prove that our salvation is by faith alone, not works. Saint Paul asks though, “What occasion is there for boasting?” And “on what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”
This is what happens when the average person reads the bible for themselves and pulls out isolated verses of scripture to base their whole way of life on. Saint Paul is talking about boasting about your good deeds. Protestants believe that good deeds is not what gets us into heaven, but our faith. But is our salvation by faith alone and not works? Our salvation is achieved by our faith in Jesus Christ. This is true, but it does not negate works. Pulling this scripture verse out of context in the bible and ignoring other aspects of the bible is dangerous and can even jeopardize our own salvation.
We will be judged by our works at the end of time. What we actually do will be the criteria of our salvation. Jesus very plainly said at the final judgement he will separate the sheep from the goats, based on their works. (Matthew 25: 31-46) “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Those who did these good “works” would enter his Father’s kingdom, those who did not do good works would go off to eternal damnation.
To assume that you will enter heaven solely on the basis of faith, is not what Christ taught. This can even jeopardize your salvation. That is why it is important to read the scriptures in light of what the Catholic church teaches. Our holy church has had over 2,000 years to study the true meaning of the words in scripture. Compare this with the bible thumping Christians who have studied the bible less than 50 years and most protestant religions have only existed 500 years or less. Some have existed only about 50 total years too.
However, in the gospel today Jesus said “Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge.” This sounds like the truths that are found in the scriptures had been studied for a long time. And yet, the scholars of the law began to interpret and live the words in the scriptures differently from the truths they had always known. Jesus said, “You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” The scholars of the law interpreted the scriptures incorrectly and led the people astray, who were trying to learn the truth about God and their own salvation.
This pretty much summarizes the scriptures for mass today. We should trust in our ancestors and in the knowledge they acquired about the scriptures, that was passed on to us through the holy Catholic church. This knowledge originated directly from the Apostles themselves and have been protected and passed on through the succession of popes from Saint Peter until the present day. The Catholic church will protect and preserve the truths that are recorded in the scriptures until the end of time. This is the main responsibility of the pope, to preserve and pass on these truths to the next generation, without distortion or personal interpretation over thousands of years of time, so their original meaning will not be lost.
That’s the thought for today. We should trust our church and not be blown about by the different winds that blow around us. The Catholic church knows the way through the storms.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mt 7: 13-14)
Daily Mass Readings:
Rom 3: 21-30 / Ps 13: 1-6 / Lk 11: 47-54
