Daily Readings - Thu Nov 10 2022

⁷For I have found great joy and consolation in your charity, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother⁸Because of this, I have enough confidence in Christ Jesus to command you concerning certain things⁹but I beg you instead, for the sake of charity, since you are so much like Paul: an old man and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ¹⁰I beg you, on behalf of my son, whom I have begotten in my chains, Onesimus¹¹In times past, he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to me and to you¹²So I have sent him back to you. And may you receive him like my own heart¹³I myself wanted to retain him with me, so that he might minister to me, on your behalf, while I am in the chains of the Gospel¹⁴But I was willing to do nothing without your counsel, so as not to make use of your good deed as if out of necessity, but only willingly¹⁵So perhaps, then, he departed from you for a time, so that you might receive him again for eternity¹⁶no longer as a servant, but, in place of a servant, a most beloved brother, especially to me: but how much so more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord¹⁷Therefore, if you hold me to be a companion, receive him as you would me¹⁸But if he has harmed you in any way, or if he is in your debt, charge it to me¹⁹I, Paul, have written this with my own hand: I will repay. And I need not tell you, that you are also in debt yourself, to me²⁰So it is, brother. May I delight with you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ

Luke

Chapter 17

²⁰Then he was questioned by the Pharisees: "When does the kingdom of God arrive?" And in response, he said to them: "The kingdom of God arrives unobserved²¹And so, they will not say, ‘Behold, it is here,’ or ‘Behold, it is there.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.²²And he said to his disciples: "The time will come when you will desire to see one day of the Son of man, and you will not see it²³And they will say to you, ‘Behold, he is here,’ and ‘Behold, he is there.’ Do not choose to go out, and do not follow them²⁴For just as lightning flashes from under heaven and shines to whatever is under heaven, so also will the Son of man be in his day²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages about transformation and the presence of God in our lives. The first reading from Philemon reveals the transformative power of faith and love. Paul, writing from prison, appeals to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, a former slave who has become a brother in Christ. Paul emphasizes that Onesimus, once useless to Philemon, is now useful both to him and to Paul. This letter is not just about reconciliation but about seeing others through the eyes of Christ, recognizing that our relationships are transformed when we encounter God. The Gospel from Luke shifts our focus to the nature of the kingdom of God. Jesus tells the Pharisees that the kingdom does not arrive with grandeur or fanfare; it is already within us. He warns against chasing after signs or false appearances of the kingdom, reminding us that the Son of Man will come like lightning, illuminating the whole sky. Jesus also reminds us that before his day, he must suffer and be rejected. This teaches us that the kingdom is not something we find by looking outward but by turning inward, where God’s presence dwells in our hearts. These readings invite us to reflect on how we see God and others. Like Philemon, we are called to recognize the transformative power of Christ in those around us, even in unexpected places. Like the disciples, we are reminded that the kingdom is not something we find by chasing external signs but by nurturing its presence within us. May we, like Paul, have the courage to see others as brothers and sisters in Christ, and may we, like the disciples, remain steadfast in our faith, knowing that the kingdom is already at work in our lives.