Daily Readings - Thu Jan 09 2025

¹⁹Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us.²⁰If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother, then he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he does see, in what way can he love God, whom he does not see²¹And this is the commandment that we have from God, that he who loves God must also love his brother

Chapter 5

¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And everyone who loves God, who provides that birth, also loves him who has been born of God²In this way, we know that we love those born of God: when we love God and do his commandments³For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy⁴For all that is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith

Luke

Chapter 4

¹⁴And Jesus returned, in the power of the Spirit, into Galilee. And his fame spread throughout the entire region¹⁵And he taught in their synagogues, and he was magnified by everyone¹⁶And he went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. And he entered into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the Sabbath day. And he rose up to read¹⁷And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. And as he unrolled the book, he found the place where it was written¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because of this, he has anointed me. He has sent me to evangelize the poor, to heal the contrite of heart¹⁹to preach forgiveness to captives and sight to the blind, to release the broken into forgiveness, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution.²⁰And when he had rolled up the book, he returned it to the minister, and he sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him²¹Then he began to say to them, "On this day, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.²²And everyone gave testimony to him. And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth. And they said, "Is this not the son of Joseph?

Sermon

In today’s readings, we are invited to reflect on the profound connection between love and mission. The first reading from 1 John reminds us that love is not merely an emotion but a commitment to God and to one another. John emphasizes that true love for God is inseparable from love for our neighbor, and this love is expressed through obedience to God’s commandments. The reading also highlights the victory of faith over the challenges of the world, reassuring us that our faith will overcome all obstacles. The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry, proclaiming His mission in the synagogue at Nazareth. Jesus reads from Isaiah, declaring that He has been anointed to bring good news to the poor, healing to the brokenhearted, and freedom to those oppressed. This passage is a cornerstone of Jesus’ identity and mission, and it challenges us to see ourselves as part of this ongoing work of love and liberation. Together, these readings remind us that love and mission are deeply intertwined. Just as Jesus was sent to bring light and hope to those in need, we too are called to live out our faith through acts of love and compassion. Let us ask ourselves: How can we, in our daily lives, reflect the love of God by serving others, especially those on the margins? May we, like Jesus, allow the Spirit to guide us in fulfilling our mission to love and serve, bringing the light of God’s kingdom to a world in need.