Daily Readings - Fri Oct 03 2025

¹⁵And you will say, ‘To the Lord our God is justice, but to us is confusion of our face, just as it is this day for all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem¹⁶even for our kings, and our leaders, and our priests, and our prophets, and our fathers¹⁷We have sinned before the Lord our God and we have not believed, lacking confidence in him¹⁸And we have not been submissive to him, and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, so as to walk in his commandments, which he has given to us¹⁹From the day that he led our fathers out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, we were unfaithful to the Lord our God, and, having been scattered, we fell away. We did not listen to his voice²⁰And we joined ourselves to many evils and to the curses which the Lord established through Moses, his servant, who led our fathers out of the land of Egypt, to give us a land flowing with milk and honey, just as it is in the present day²¹And we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, according to all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us²²And we have gone astray, each one after the inclinations of his own malignant heart, serving strange gods and doing evil before the eyes of the Lord our God

Luke

Chapter 10

¹³Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that have been wrought in you, had been wrought in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in haircloth and ashes¹⁴Yet truly, Tyre and Sidon will be forgiven more in the judgment than you will be¹⁵And as for you, Capernaum, who would be exalted even up to Heaven: you shall be submerged into Hell¹⁶Whoever hears you, hears me. And whoever despises you, despises me. And whoever despises me, despises him who sent me.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful reflections on sin, repentance, and judgment. The first reading from Baruch is a communal confession of sin, spoken on behalf of the Jewish people during their exile in Babylon. The author acknowledges the people’s unfaithfulness to God, their refusal to listen to the prophets, and their rebellion against the commandments. This confession is not just an admission of guilt but also an act of humility, recognizing that their suffering is a consequence of their sins. The reading ends with a glimmer of hope, as the people turn back to God, seeking mercy and restoration. In the Gospel, Jesus delivers a stern warning to the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These towns, which had witnessed many miracles during Jesus’ ministry, are condemned for their lack of repentance. Jesus contrasts their hardness of heart with the hypothetical repentance of the pagan cities Tyre and Sidon, suggesting that even those who have not been given as much grace would have responded more faithfully. This passage underscores the gravity of rejecting God’s revelation and the consequences of failing to respond to His call. Both readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like the exiled Jews in Baruch, we are called to acknowledge our sins and return to the Lord with humility and trust. Like the towns in Luke’s Gospel, we are reminded that God’s gifts and revelations come with great responsibility. We must not take His grace for granted or ignore the opportunities He gives us to repent and grow in holiness. Let us examine our hearts today, asking ourselves whether we are truly listening to God’s voice and responding with faith and obedience. May we, like the people in Baruch, find the courage to confess our sins and seek His mercy, and may we, like the towns Jesus addressed, avoid the hardness of heart that leads to judgment.