The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our modern tendency to be free with criticism, especially in social media, even as we reflect on Jesus' response to critics of His lifestyle and the company He kept.
The Reading from the First Letter to Timothy shares The Mystery of Our Religion.
* [3:14–16] In case there is some delay in the visit to Timothy at Ephesus planned for the near future, the present letter is being sent on ahead to arm and enlighten him in his task of preserving sound Christian conduct in the Ephesian church. The care he must exercise over this community is required by the profound nature of Christianity. It centers in Christ, appearing in human flesh, vindicated by the holy Spirit; the mystery of his person was revealed to the angels, announced to the Gentiles, and accepted by them in faith. He himself was taken up (through his resurrection and ascension) to the divine glory (1 Tm 3:16). This passage apparently includes part of a liturgical hymn used among the Christian communities in and around Ephesus. It consists of three couplets in typical Hebrew balance: flesh-spirit (contrast), seen-proclaimed (complementary), world-glory (contrast).
* [3:16] Who: the reference is to Christ, who is himself “the mystery of our devotion.” Some predominantly Western manuscripts read “which,” harmonizing the gender of the pronoun with that of the Greek word for mystery; many later (eighth/ninth century on), predominantly Byzantine manuscripts read “God,” possibly for theological reasons. (1 Timothy, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Psalm 111 proclaims how God is revealed in Israel’s history.
* [Psalm 111] A Temple singer (Ps 111:1) tells how God is revealed in Israel’s history (Ps 111:2–10). The deeds reveal God’s very self, powerful, merciful, faithful. The poem is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (Psalms, PSALM 111, n.d.)
The Reading from the Gospel of Luke notes this parable (Mt 11:16–17) and its explanation (Mt 11:18–19b) is much disputed.
* [7:31–35] See note on Mt 11:16–19 (Luke, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
* [11:16–19] See Lk 7:31–35. The meaning of the parable (Mt 11:16–17) and its explanation (Mt 11:18–19b) is much disputed. A plausible view is that the children of the parable are two groups, one of which proposes different entertainments to the other that will not agree with either proposal. The first represents John, Jesus, and their disciples; the second those who reject John for his asceticism and Jesus for his table association with those despised by the religiously observant. Mt 11:19c (her works) forms an inclusion with Mt 11:2 (“the works of the Messiah”). The original form of the saying is better preserved in Lk 7:35 “…wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” There John and Jesus are the children of Wisdom; here the works of Jesus the Messiah are those of divine Wisdom, of which he is the embodiment. Some important textual witnesses, however, have essentially the same reading as in Luke. (Matthew, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth relates to the mere fact that like most of us, Jesus was peeved by unfair criticism. Like us, He was human and responded as such and would likely understand our annoyance in similar situations.
Today’s reading reminds us that while Jesus apparently didn’t like unreasonable criticism any more than we do, he lived with it, just as we must as we stumble through life. Jesus understands that most of the time we are doing the best we can as we stumble through life.
That’s what I did with the student complaint of unfairness. What I saw as cura personalis won out but I told future classes that I knew they had crazy schedules that I’d try to accommodate them if they asked. It was the best I could do and I never again got such a complaint. So maybe that critique did some good after all.
Cura personalis is a Latin phrase meaning "care of the whole person," a fundamental Jesuit principle that emphasizes individualized and holistic care for students, faculty, and colleagues. (Wirth, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The song and dances of the prophets,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Therefore, wisdom is justified by all her children.' He fittingly says 'by all,' because justice is preserved around all. In order that an acceptance of the faithful may happen, a rejection of the unbelieving must occur. Very many Greeks say this, "Wisdom is justified by all her works," because the duty of justice is to preserve the measure around the merit of each. It aptly says, "We have piped to you, and you have not danced." Moses sang a song when he stopped the flow in the Red Sea for the crossing of the Jews (Exodus 15:1-18), and the same waves encircled the horses of the Egyptians and, falling back, drowned their riders. Isaiah sang a song of his beloved's vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), signifying that the people who before had been fruitful with abundant virtues would be desolate through shameful acts. The Hebrews sang a song when the soles of their feet grew moist at the touch of the bedewing flame, and while all burned within and without, the harmless fire caressed them alone and did not scorch (Daniel 3:19-25). Habakkuk also learned to assuage universal grief with a song and prophesied that the sweet passion of the Lord would happen for the faithful (Habakkuk 3:13). The prophets sang songs with spiritual measures, resounding with prophecies of universal salvation. The prophets wept, softening the hard hearts of the Jews with sorrowful lamentations" (Isaiah 46:12). (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.6-7) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 7:31-35 comments that these critics missed the point of both John and Jesus’ ministries. John wasn’t being harsh; he was pleading with his fellow Israelites to turn away from their sins so that they could welcome the Messiah and embrace the kingdom of God. As for Jesus, he wasn’t playing fast and loose with the Law of Moses. He was spending time with the “sinful” so that he could win them over. He was showing them his Father’s love by treating them with respect, listening to them, and sharing his heart with them.
It’s easy to be like the detractors in today’s Gospel who focused on other people’s supposed failings so that they could ignore their own faults. But Jesus wants us to be children of wisdom. He wants us to embrace the wisdom of repenting for our sins that John taught and the wisdom of showing mercy to everyone else that he taught. He knows that as we do, we’ll become attractive to others, just as he was, and we will show them the wisdom of following him.
“Jesus, help me to live as a child of your wisdom and not the wisdom of the world!” (Meditation on Luke 7:31-35, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the message in 1 Timothy to live a dignified life with Christ as the centre. At the end of the passage is a short canticle about Jesus, perhaps from an early liturgy, as a lot of the important theology of the early Church. We are reminded of an invitation to celebrate our Eucharist to see the eternal truth. Jesus is a bit frustrated. It seems John and Jesus are both criticized. The people were not ready to accept either. Friar Jude reminds that we can let our ideas blind us to the “God of Surprises” that we should be prepared to embrace.
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that in his sermon “Loving Your Enemies,” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) insists that agape love is the path to justice and peace.
When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality….
Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love one’s enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival. Love even for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world. Jesus is not an impractical idealist: he is the practical realist.
I am certain that Jesus understood the difficulty inherent in the act of loving one’s enemy. He never joined the ranks of those who talk glibly about the easiness of the moral life. He realized that every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God. So when Jesus said “Love your enemy,” he was not unmindful of its stringent qualities. Yet he meant every word of it. Our responsibility as Christians is to discover the meaning of this command and seek passionately to live it out in our daily lives….
When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking neither of eros [romantic love] nor philia [reciprocal love of friends]; he is speaking of agape, understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all people. Only by following this way and responding with this type of love are we able to be children of our Father who is in heaven. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the Wisdom of the Spirit when we feel the need to respond to ourself or others when we deal with criticism that we feel is unjustified or alternately reveals some truth that we would best address for our own growth and benefit.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/7?31
Matthew, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?
Meditation on Luke 7:31-35. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/09/17/1384295/
1 Timothy, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/3?14
Psalms, PSALM 111. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/111?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/love-and-nonviolence/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). How Shall I Compare This Generation? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep17
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved September 17, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-17-2025
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