Daily Readings - Sun Mar 02 2025

⁴If you do not hold yourself steadfastly to the fear of the Lord, your house will be quickly overthrown⁵Just as the dust remains when one shakes a sieve, so will the doubt of a man remain in his thoughts⁶The furnace tests the potter’s vessels, and the trial of the tribulation tests just men⁷As the pruning of a tree reveals its fruit, so does a word reveal the thoughts in the heart of a man

1 Corinthians

Chapter 15

⁵⁴And when this mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the word that was written shall occur: "Death is swallowed up in victory.⁵⁵"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?⁵⁶Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ⁵⁸And so, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not useless in the Lord

Luke

Chapter 6

³⁹Now he told them another comparison: "How can the blind lead the blind? Would they not both fall into a pit⁴⁰The disciple is not above his teacher. But each one will be perfected, if he is like his teacher⁴¹And why do you see the straw that is in your brother’s eye, while the log that is in your own eye, you do not consider⁴²Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ while you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? Hypocrite, first remove the log from your own eye, and then will you see clearly, so that you may lead out the straw from your brother’s eye⁴³For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor does an evil tree produce good fruit⁴⁴For each and every tree is known by its fruit. For they do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather the grape from the bramble bush⁴⁵A good man, from the good storehouse of his heart, offers what is good. And an evil man, from the evil storehouse, offers what is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the importance of integrity, self-awareness, and trust in God’s plan. In the first reading from Sirach, we are reminded that our thoughts and actions reveal the state of our hearts. Just as a tree is known by its fruit, our words and deeds expose the depths of our character. The passage warns against hypocrisy and encourages us to examine ourselves before judging others. This theme is echoed in the Gospel, where Jesus uses the metaphor of the log in our own eye to teach us the necessity of self-reflection and humility. True wisdom begins with recognizing our own limitations and flaws. The second reading from 1 Corinthians offers a message of hope and triumph. St. Paul reminds us that through Christ, death has been defeated, and sin no longer has power over us. This victory gives us the strength to remain steadfast in our faith and to trust that our efforts to live a virtuous life are not in vain. The connection between the readings lies in their shared emphasis on the transformative power of God’s grace. Just as Christ has overcome death, we too can overcome our own weaknesses and sins by turning to Him. In our daily lives, these readings call us to live with authenticity and gratitude. Let us ask ourselves: Are we honest about our own shortcomings, or do we hide behind hypocrisy? Do we trust in God’s plan, even when the path seems uncertain? The moral lesson is clear: true freedom and joy come from living with integrity and placing our hope in the victory of Christ. As we go about our day, let us strive to be people of genuine faith, rooted in self-awareness and trust in God’s providence.