Daily Readings - Sat Sep 26 2020

⁹After these things, I saw a great crowd, which no one could number, from all the nations and tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands¹⁰And they cried out, with a great voice, saying: "Salvation is from our God, who sits upon the throne, and from the Lamb.¹¹And all the Angels were standing around the throne, with the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell upon their faces in view of the throne, and they worshipped God¹²saying: "Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, honor and power and strength to our God, forever and ever. Amen.¹³And one of the elders responded and said to me: "These ones who are clothed in white robes, who are they? And where did they come from?¹⁴And I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me: "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and have made them white by the blood of the Lamb¹⁵Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him, day and night, in his temple. And the One who sits upon the throne shall dwell over them¹⁶They shall not hunger, nor shall they thirst, anymore. Neither shall the sun beat down upon them, nor any heat¹⁷For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will rule over them, and he will lead them to the fountains of the waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

2 Corinthians

Chapter 4

⁷But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, so that what is sublime may be of the power of God, and not of us⁸In all things, we endure tribulation, yet we are not in anguish. We are constrained, yet we are not destitute⁹We suffer persecution, yet we have not been abandoned. We are thrown down, yet we do not perish¹⁰We ever carry around the mortification of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies¹¹For we who live are ever handed over unto death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh¹²Therefore, death is at work in us, and life is at work in you¹³But we have the same Spirit of faith. And just as it is written, "I believed, and for that reason I spoke," so we also believe, and for that reason, we also speak¹⁴For we know that the One who raised up Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and will place us with you¹⁵Thus, all is for you, so that grace, abounding through many in thanksgiving, may abound to the glory of God

Gospel - Luke 9.23-26 or John 12.24-26

Luke

Chapter 9

²³Then he said to everyone: "If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me²⁴For whoever will have saved his life, will lose it. Yet whoever will have lost his life for my sake, will save it²⁵For how does it benefit a man, if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose himself, or cause himself harm²⁶For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words: of him the Son of man will be ashamed, when he will have arrived in his majesty and that of his Father and of the holy Angels

John

Chapter 12

²⁴Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies²⁵it remains alone. But if it dies, it yields much fruit. Whoever loves his life, will lose it. And whoever hates his life in this world, preserves it unto eternal life²⁶If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there too my minister shall be. If anyone has served me, my Father will honor him

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between suffering, hope, and eternal life. In the first reading from Revelation, we are given a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem, where a countless multitude from every nation stands before the throne of God and the Lamb, clothed in white robes. These are the ones who have come through great tribulation, their robes washed white by the blood of the Lamb. They worship God unceasingly, and the Lamb, who is their shepherd, leads them to the waters of life. This vision reminds us that our present struggles are not the end of the story; they are but a prelude to the eternal joy and peace that await us in God’s presence. The second reading from 2 Corinthians deepens this theme. Paul writes about the paradox of Christian life: we are fragile, earthen vessels holding a sublime treasure—the power of God. Though we endure tribulation, we are not crushed. Though we are afflicted, we are not abandoned. Paul’s words remind us that our suffering is not meaningless. It is in our weakness that the power of God shines through. The life of Jesus is manifested in our mortal flesh, even as we carry the cross of discipleship. This is the mystery of the Christian life: death is at work in us, but it is a death that leads to life. In the Gospel, Jesus makes this mystery explicit. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him. This is not a call to self-punishment but to self-surrender. To lose our life for his sake is to find true life. Jesus warns us that if we seek to save our lives on our own terms, we will lose them. But if we lose our lives for his sake, we will save them. This is the paradox of the cross: it is through embracing suffering and self-denial that we discover the true meaning of life. Jesus’ words are not just a moral lesson; they are an invitation to live in the power of the resurrection, even in the midst of trials. These readings remind us that our faith is not about avoiding suffering but about finding meaning and hope in it. Like the multitude in Revelation, we are called to persevere through tribulation, trusting that our robes will be washed white by the blood of the Lamb. Like Paul, we are called to embrace our weakness, knowing that God’s power is made perfect in it. And like the disciples, we are called to take up our cross daily, following Jesus into the mystery of death and resurrection. Let us, then, face our struggles with faith, knowing that they are not the end of our story. For in the end, it is not our strength that will save us, but the power of God, who raises the dead and leads us to the waters of life.