Daily Readings - Fri Oct 01 2021

¹⁵And you will say, ‘To the Lord our God is justice, but to us is confusion of our face, just as it is this day for all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem¹⁶even for our kings, and our leaders, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers¹⁷We have sinned before the Lord our God and we have not believed, lacking confidence in him¹⁸And we have not been submissive to him, and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, so as to walk in his commandments, which he has given to us¹⁹From the day that he led our fathers out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, we were unfaithful to the Lord our God, and, having been scattered, we fell away. We did not listen to his voice²⁰And we joined ourselves to many evils and to the curses which the Lord established through Moses, his servant, who led our fathers out of the land of Egypt, to give us a land flowing with milk and honey, just as it is in the present day²¹And we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, according to all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us²²And we have gone astray, each one after the inclinations of his own malignant heart, serving strange gods and doing evil before the eyes of the Lord our God

Luke

Chapter 10

¹³Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that have been wrought in you, had been wrought in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in haircloth and ashes¹⁴Yet truly, Tyre and Sidon will be forgiven more in the judgment than you will be¹⁵And as for you, Capernaum, who would be exalted even up to Heaven: you shall be submerged into Hell¹⁶Whoever hears you, hears me. And whoever despises you, despises me. And whoever despises me, despises him who sent me.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful reflections on sin, repentance, and God’s justice. The first reading from Baruch is a communal confession of sin, acknowledging Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. The people recognize that their suffering is a consequence of their disobedience and lack of trust in God’s plan. This passage is set in the context of the Babylonian exile, where the Israelites are forced to confront their failures and seek mercy. The second reading from Luke finds Jesus addressing the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, which failed to repent despite witnessing miracles. Jesus laments their hardness of heart, contrasting their response with how even the historically sinful cities of Tyre and Sidon would have repented under such circumstances. Both readings emphasize the importance of humility and self-awareness in our relationship with God. Baruch’s confession shows that true repentance involves acknowledging our sins and taking responsibility for our actions. Similarly, Jesus’ words in Luke highlight the gravity of rejecting God’s grace and the opportunities He gives us to turn back to Him. The connection between the two readings lies in their call to conversion. Whether in the Old Testament or the New, God’s people are invited to examine their hearts, recognize their sinfulness, and return to the Lord with sincerity. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Where in our lives are we resisting God’s call to repentance? Are there areas where we, like the towns in Luke’s Gospel, have grown complacent or indifferent to God’s presence? Let us learn from the example of Baruch, who leads his people in a heartfelt confession of sin. May we, too, approach God with humility, acknowledging our failures and trusting in His mercy. In doing so, we open ourselves to the transformative power of His grace, which calls us to live more faithfully as His disciples.