Daily Readings - Thu Oct 26 2023
Romans
19I am speaking in human terms because of the infirmity of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of your body to serve impurity and iniquity, for the sake of iniquity, so also have you now yielded the parts of your body to serve justice, for the sake of sanctification20For though you were once the servants of sin, you have become the children of justice21But what fruit did you hold at that time, in those things about which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death22Yet truly, having been freed now from sin, and having been made servants of God, you hold your fruit in sanctification, and truly its end is eternal life23For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
Luke
49I have come to cast a fire upon the earth. And what should I desire, except that it may be kindled50And I have a baptism, with which I am to be baptized. And how I am constrained, even until it may be accomplished51Do you think that I have come to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division52For from this time on, there will be five in one house: divided as three against two, and as two against three53A father will be divided against a son, and a son against his father; a mother against a daughter and a daughter against a mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of faith and the challenges it presents. In Romans, Paul contrasts life as servants of sin with life as servants of God, emphasizing that our choices lead to either death or eternal life. This transformation is not merely a change in behavior but a profound shift in our being, leading to sanctification.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of casting fire upon the earth, a metaphor for the transformative and sometimes divisive nature of His message. This fire ignites a passion that can create conflict, even within families, as not everyone will embrace the radical commitment He calls for. This teaching reminds us that following Christ is not about comfort but about a radical way of life that can set us apart.
Applying this to our daily lives, we are called to make choices that align with our faith, even when they are difficult. This might mean facing opposition or standing out in our commitment to justice and love. The moral lesson here is clear: our faith transforms us internally and challenges us externally, leading to a life of purpose and eternal promise. Let us embrace this transformative power, knowing that it brings both inner sanctification and the courage to face life's challenges.