Daily Readings - Thu Nov 14 2024

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 powerful messages about relationships, forgiveness, and the presence of God. The letter to Philemon, one of Paul’s most personal and shortest epistles, tells the story of Onesimus, a slave who found faith and became a brother in Christ. Paul appeals to Philemon to welcome Onesimus back, not as a servant, but as a beloved brother, emphasizing the transformative power of faith. This letter highlights the early Christian community's emphasis on unity and reconciliation, urging Philemon to act with compassion and grace. The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus discussing the Kingdom of God, which He describes as already present among us. Jesus warns against chasing after signs or false claims of the Kingdom’s arrival, likening it to lightning that illuminates the entire sky. This teaching invites us to recognize God’s presence in our midst, not in grand gestures but in the quiet, everyday moments. The Kingdom is within us, a reality that transforms our hearts and minds. Together, these readings remind us that our faith is lived out in our relationships and in our inner lives. Like Philemon, we are called to forgive and see the divine in others, treating them with the same love we would offer to Christ. From the Gospel, we learn to cultivate an inner awareness of God’s presence, recognizing that the Kingdom is already here, shaping how we live and interact with the world. May we embrace this transformative power, allowing it to guide us in our daily lives and relationships, and may we always seek to see God’s presence within and around us.