Daily Readings - Wed Oct 08 2025
Jonah
1And Jonah was afflicted with a great affliction, and he was angry2And he prayed to the Lord, and he said, "I beg you, Lord, was this not my word, when I was still in my own land? Because of this, I knew beforehand to flee into Tarshish. For I know that you are a lenient and merciful God, patient and great in compassion, and forgiving despite ill will3And now, Lord, I ask you to take my life from me. For it is better for me to die than to live.4And the Lord said, "Do you really think you are right to be angry?5And Jonah went out of the city, and he sat opposite the east of the city. And he made himself a shelter there, and he was sitting under it in the shadow, until he might see what would befall the city6And the Lord God prepared an ivy, and it ascended over the head of Jonah so as to be a shadow over his head, and to protect him (for he had labored hard). And Jonah rejoiced because of the ivy, with great rejoicing7And God prepared a worm, when dawn approached on the next day, and it struck the ivy, and it dried up8And when the sun had risen, the Lord ordered a hot and burning wind. And the sun beat down on the head of Jonah, and he burned. And he petitioned for his soul that he might die, and he said, "It is better for me to die than to live.9And the Lord said to Jonah, "Do you really think that you are right to be angry because of the ivy?" And he said, "I am right to be angry even unto death.10And the Lord said, "You grieve for the ivy, for which you have not labored and which you did not cause to grow, though it had been born during one night, and during one night perished11And shall I not spare Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand men, who do not know the difference between their right and their left, and many beasts?
Luke
1And it happened that, while he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.2And he said to them: "When you are praying, say: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come3Give us this day our daily bread4And forgive us our sins, since we also forgive all who are indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful lessons about prayer, trust, and God’s mercy. The first reading from Jonah finds the prophet in a state of anguish and anger. Jonah is upset because the plant that provided him shade has withered, and he feels justified in his frustration. Yet, God uses this moment to teach Jonah about compassion and the value of life. God reminds Jonah that he grieved over a plant he did not even cultivate, while God himself is merciful toward the entire city of Nineveh, sparing its people and animals from destruction. This exchange reveals Jonah’s limited understanding of God’s boundless mercy and his own lack of compassion.
The Gospel reading from Luke offers us a different perspective on prayer. Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, a model of humility and trust in God’s providence. The prayer emphasizes the importance of seeking God’s will, asking for daily bread, and forgiving others as we seek forgiveness. It also invites us to ask for the strength to resist temptation. This prayer is not just a formula but a way of life, teaching us to approach God with confidence and surrender, trusting that he knows what we need even before we ask.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and our neighbors. Jonah’s story challenges us to examine our own attitudes toward others and to grow in compassion, recognizing that God’s mercy extends far beyond our limited perspectives. The Lord’s Prayer, on the other hand, reminds us that prayer is not just about asking for things but about aligning our hearts with God’s will. Together, these readings call us to trust in God’s plan, to pray with humility, and to live with mercy and forgiveness toward all. Let us strive to cultivate these virtues in our daily lives, trusting that God’s ways are always greater than our own.