Daily Readings - Sat Oct 15 2022

¹⁵Because of this, and hearing of your faith that is in the Lord Jesus, and of your love toward all the saints¹⁶I have not ceased giving thanks for you, calling you to mind in my prayers¹⁷so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give a spirit of wisdom and of revelation to you, in knowledge of him¹⁸May the eyes of your heart be illuminated, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and the wealth of the glory of his inheritance with the saints¹⁹and the preeminent magnitude of his virtue toward us, toward we who believe in accord with the work of his powerful virtue²⁰which he wrought in Christ, raising him from the dead and establishing him at his right hand in the heavens²¹above every principality and power and virtue and dominion, and above every name that is given, not only in this age, but even in the future age²²And he has subjected all things under his feet, and he has made him the head over the entire Church²³which is his body and which is the fullness of him who accomplishes everything in everyone

Luke

Chapter 12

⁸But I say to you: Everyone who will have confessed me before men, the Son of man will also confess him before the Angels of God⁹But everyone who will have denied me before men, he will be denied before the Angels of God¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven of him. But of him who will have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven¹¹And when they will lead you to the synagogues, and to magistrates and authorities, do not choose to be worried about how or what you will answer, or about what you might say¹²For the Holy Spirit will teach you, in the same hour, what you must say.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound relationship between faith, prayer, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. In the first reading from Ephesians, St. Paul expresses his deep gratitude for the faith of the Ephesian community and prays that God may grant them a spirit of wisdom and revelation. He wants them to understand the hope of their calling and the immense inheritance they have in Christ. This prayer is not just for the Ephesians but for all of us, reminding us that our faith is a gift, and with it comes the responsibility to live in hope and trust in God’s plan. The reading also highlights the cosmic dimension of Christ’s victory, with all things subjected to him, and the Church as his body, the fullness of his presence in the world. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the importance of confessing him before others and the gravity of rejecting the Holy Spirit. He assures us that the Holy Spirit will guide us in times of trial, teaching us what to say and do. This passage is a call to courage and trust in God’s providence. It reminds us that our faith is not a private matter but something that must be lived openly, even when it is challenging. At the same time, it warns us about the dangers of hardness of heart and the refusal to acknowledge God’s presence and action in our lives. Together, these readings encourage us to live with confidence in God’s love and to seek his wisdom daily. They remind us that our faith is a treasure that must be nurtured through prayer and lived out in our words and actions. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds, that we may truly understand the hope we have in Christ and bear witness to his love in all that we do. May we trust in God’s plan and seek his guidance, knowing that he will never abandon us.