Daily Readings - Fri Nov 20 2020
Revelation
8And again, I heard a voice from heaven speaking with me and saying: "Go and receive the open book from the hand of the Angel who stands upon the sea and upon the land.9And I went to the Angel, saying to him that he should give the book to me. And he said to me: "Receive the book and consume it. And it shall cause bitterness in your stomach, but in your mouth it shall be sweet like honey.10And I received the book from the hand of the Angel, and I consumed it. And it was sweet like honey in my mouth. And when I had consumed it, my stomach was made bitter11And he said to me, "It is necessary for you to prophesy again about many nations and peoples and languages and kings.
Luke
45And entering into the temple, he began to cast out those who sold in it, and those who bought46saying to them: "It is written: ‘My house is a house of prayer.’ But you have made it into a den of robbers.47And he was teaching in the temple daily. And the leaders of the priests, and the scribes, and the leaders of the people were seeking to destroy him48But they could not find what to do to him. For all the people were listening to him attentively
Sermon
The readings today present us with powerful images of divine truth and the challenges of living out that truth in the world. In the first reading from Revelation, John is given a scroll by an angel and told to eat it. The scroll is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. This symbolizes the Word of God, which brings joy and nourishment to our spirits but also challenges us to confront the difficulties and sins of the world. John’s act of eating the scroll prepares him to prophesy again, emphasizing the call to share God’s message even when it is hard.
In the Gospel, Jesus enters the temple and drives out those who are exploiting it for profit. He reminds them that the temple is meant to be a house of prayer, not a place of greed. This action angers the religious leaders, who begin to plot against him. Yet, despite the growing opposition, Jesus continues to teach the people, who listen to him with great attention. This passage shows Jesus’ authority and his commitment to purifying the places where God is worshiped, even in the face of resistance.
Both readings remind us that following God’s will often involves tension and sacrifice. The sweetness of God’s Word must be balanced with the bitterness of confronting sin and injustice. Like John, we are called to receive God’s truth deeply and share it with others, even when it is uncomfortable. Like Jesus, we are called to stand firm in our faith, even when it leads to opposition. In our daily lives, this means being honest about our own sins, standing up for what is right, and trusting that God’s truth will ultimately prevail. Let us ask for the courage to embrace both the sweetness and the bitterness of living as disciples of Christ.