Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
October 17, 2020
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Luke 12:8-12
Jesus expects his followers to be faithful to him, and promises that the Holy Spirit will be with them in time of trial. Those who accept Jesus’ prophetic mission will be acknowledged as his own in the presence of God’s angels. Those who deny the truth of that mission will be rejected by Jesus in the presence of the angels. Yet even they can be forgiven, Jesus says.
It’s those who persist in obdurate opposition to the presence of the Spirit in Jesus’ work who cannot expect forgiveness. Repudiating the Holy Spirit of God who animates Jesus’ teaching is to spurn the possibility of God’s forgiveness.
God looks for our faithfulness to him and for our openness to the Holy Spirit. How do I respond?
