Today’s reading continues the litany of sermons Paul is giving as he travels from place to place. In Antioch he points out something very true: the people of Jerusalem failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. And in condemning him, the religious leaders fulfilled the prophecies told in their scriptures—scriptures that were proclaimed every week in their temple! They were blind to what the prophets warned about. And Paul, who is sharing this sermon, is one of them, a former Pharisee whose persecution of the Jesus movement was blinded. Yet the grace of God opened his eyes to the Truth.
Many of us read scripture regularly, yet we can find ourselves blind to them at times. We can easily ignore Jesus’ words and teaching in our daily life. Let’s not fall into the trap of the Pharisees. Let’s allow the Word to become part of our very being, and heed their wisdom.
—Andy Otto, originally from Boston, is currently a high school theology teacher for the Diocese of Sacramento. He also runs the Ignatian blog God In All Things.