October 14, 2021, Thursday 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 11: 11:47-54
Please open your Scriptures and read these verses prayerfully.

Getting to Know You.

"You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you stopped those trying to enter."

Do you remember or ever heard the song, "Getting to Know you, getting to know all about you? Marni Nixon sang it in the musical, The King and I (1956). I can see Jesus going from one town to another, preaching, healing, and doing all He can do to bring people into a relationship with God. He is the Good Shepherd who said, "I know mine and mine know Me" (John 1:14). Jesus wanted everyone to know Him so they could love Him and His Father in a very personal way. He called this the "key of knowledge." It wasn’t about the head. It was about the heart.

The Scribes, Pharisees, and Lawyers Jesus addressed at the dinner in the Pharisee’s home were falling into the sin of their ancestors, persecuting the prophets from the beginning of time. They did this because they did not know Jesus. They didn’t listen to Him when He walked from town to town. So, Jesus called them out on it. He was hoping they would listen and have a change of heart.

THE GOSPEL CHALLENGE: "You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you stopped those trying to enter." Think about how you relate to someone you love with all your heart. How did it happen that you cherish them so much? Think about how much you want to know everything about them and tell them everything about yourself. We have to admit that to love someone beyond our wildest dreams, we have to spend time getting to know them. And if we don’t, we forget them or, at worst, abuse them. The Pharisees treated Jesus in the same way. They didn’t know Him, so they could not love Him.

If we know Jesus and love Jesus, can we know and love Him more? If we don’t know Jesus personally, perhaps it’s time for a change of heart?

IGNITE THE FIRE.
God bless you, my friends.
Fr. Rick Pilger, I.C.