20251016 TAKING AWAY THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
16 October 2025, Thursday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 3:21-30 |
It is the same justice of God that comes to Jew and pagan alike
God’s justice that was made known through the Law and the Prophets has now been revealed outside the Law, since it is the same justice of God that comes through faith to everyone, Jew and pagan alike, who believes in Jesus Christ. Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God’s glory, and both are justified through the free gift of his grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus who was appointed by God to sacrifice his life so as to win reconciliation through faith. In this way God makes his justice known; first, for the past, when sins went unpunished because he held his hand, then, for the present age, by showing positively that he is just, and that he justifies everyone who believes in Jesus.
So what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. What sort of law excludes them? The sort of law that tells us what to do? On the contrary, it is the law of faith, since, as we see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him to do. Is God the God of Jews alone and not of the pagans too? Of the pagans too, most certainly, since there is only one God.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 129(130):1-6 |
With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps110:7,8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your precepts, O Lord, are all of them sure;
they stand firm for ever and ever.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:6 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 11:47-54 |
You have not gone in yourselves and have prevented others who wanted to
Jesus said: ‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.
‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others going in who wanted to.’
When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.
TAKING AWAY THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 3:21-30; Ps 130:1-6; Lk 11:47-54]
Jesus’ judgment on the scribes appeared to be scathing: “Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others from going in who wanted to.” This calls for examination on our part, especially for those of us who are leaders and Christians. It is tragic that we who have been given the knowledge of salvation prevent others from entering the Kingdom–firstly, because we have not entered it ourselves, and secondly, because we have confused the minds of those under our care. It is bad enough that we ourselves have not entered the Kingdom of God even though we know the way; but worse still, we mislead others about what it takes to enter the Kingdom, either through ignorance or, worse still, through selfishness by diluting the Gospel so that we feel more comfortable with it.
Why is it that we who know what is right are not entering the Kingdom of God ourselves? It is truly a scandal that religious leaders who preach the Gospel–and civil and corporate leaders who emphasize the importance of integrity and justice in the workplace and in business practices–are often the very ones who commit the same wrongs they condemn. How can we expect others to observe these values when we ourselves do not? Knowing what is right does not necessarily mean we will do what is right. Knowing the law and being able to distinguish between right and wrong does not mean we will observe it. This is due to human selfishness and weakness. As St Paul tells us in today’s first reading, “Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God’s glory.” We are fallen sinners, and while we retain the image of God within us, we do not reflect His glory, love, compassion, and truth in our lives.
Captivated by sin, we find ourselves unable to free ourselves from its bondage, and before the law, we feel paralyzed. Indeed, regardless of how harsh and strict the laws may be in a certain culture or country, there will always be people who break them, even when such offenses result in severe punishment or even the death sentence. Otherwise, there would be no rapists, molesters, voyeurs, thieves, cheaters, drug traffickers, armed robbers, or murderers. Even the harshest of laws cannot prevent wrongdoing. This is why St Paul wrote to Timothy: “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. This means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane.” (1 Tim 1:8ff)
Indeed, the law can only deter but cannot stop a person from doing wrong. Even when it does, it does not change the heart of the person. At best it can only restrain the person by the force of fear because of punishment. The heart remains evil, waiting for the opportune time when the law is not enforced to offend again. Real conversion must be internal, not external. Conversion of heart comes from a deep realization that what we do is evil and destructive to our well-being. Yet even this realization is not enough to empower a person to do good, for he remains enslaved by sin. He is powerless–like a drug addict, a paedophile, or a womanizer–to overcome his weakness and bondage to evil.
Since we cannot be justified before God through the Law and the Prophets, “God’s justice has now been revealed outside the Law, since it is the same justice of God that comes through faith to everyone, Jew and pagan alike, who believes in Jesus Christ.” How does this work? It works through faith in God’s grace and mercy expressed in love. God knows that by our own strength and will alone, we can never justify ourselves before Him who is all-perfect and holy. No matter how much we try, our fallen nature prevents us from keeping the law completely and consistently. We are weak despite our goodwill and desire to do what is right.
The only way to win us over and give us the strength to do good is not through works, but through faith in the mercy and love of God. We “are justified through the free gift of His grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus, who was appointed by God to sacrifice His life so as to win reconciliation through faith. In this way God makes His justice known; first, for the past, when sins went unpunished because He held His hand, then for the present age, by showing positively that He is just and that He justifies everyone who believes in Jesus.” God does not take our sins into account but forgives us unconditionally. To show us that He has forgiven us, He paid the ransom–the price for our sins–through the sacrifice of His only Son on the cross for our salvation. It is not that God requires the innocent suffering of His Son to forgive us, but that we need to see that His love for us is real and true. His Son, who became man for our sake, endured the sufferings caused by sin so that we might realize its seriousness. When we contemplate how our sins caused the death of His only Son, we are moved by love and gratitude to repent–not because we have to, but because we want to.
Precisely, if Jesus reprimanded the scribes for taking away the key of knowledge to enter the Kingdom of God, it was because they knew very well that despite their best efforts to observe the law, they themselves failed as miserably as the rest. We too, as leaders, often expect those under our charge to obey the laws and rules, even though we know that, much as we try, we also fail at times. Punishment alone cannot rehabilitate a wrongdoer or a sinner. Threats can only restrain, but not prevent, wrongdoing when temptation is strong and the person is morally, spiritually, or emotionally weak. Instead of merely teaching laws, we must lead others to Christ’s love.
Consequently, the only way forward is through forgiveness and compassion rather than condemnation. It is through forgiveness and mercy that hearts are won and lives are changed. We are called to win people over by love and mercy. This is the way of God, revealed through the sacrifice of His only Son. As the psalmist affirms, “If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness; for this we revere you. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” Indeed, when we experience how much God loves and forgives us in Christ Jesus, our lives will be radically transformed. This was the experience of St Paul when he wrote, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (2 Cor 5:14-15, 17-19)
This means more than just knowing intellectually that this is true. Many of us profess with our lips that Christ died to save us from our sins, yet few are truly moved by this fact. We need to enter into this mystery and experience the saving effects of His death on the cross in order to share the same conviction as St Paul. We do this by contemplating the passion and death of our Lord on the cross, through devotion to the Via Crucis, and above all, in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Only by sharing in the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection can we come to the full realization expressed by St Peter: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt 2:24)
Truly, we have nothing to boast about except the mercy and forgiveness of Christ in saving us. This is why St Paul said, “So what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. What sort of law excludes them? The sort of law that tells us what to do? On the contrary, it is the law of faith, since, as we see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him to do.” As the Lord told the scribes, let us not perpetuate the falsehood of killing the prophets of God by covering it up with good works. Rather, we need to show the way by coming to Christ ourselves and being converted by His love and mercy.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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