Daily Readings - Thu Oct 12 2017
Malachi
13"Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?'14You have said, 'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts?15And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'"16Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.17"They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.18Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
1"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
Luke
5And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves,6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';7and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'?8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.9And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Sermon
In today’s readings, we are reminded of the importance of faith, persistence, and trust in God’s providence. The first reading from Malachi speaks to a people who have grown weary in their faith, questioning whether serving God is worth the effort. They observe the prosperity of the wicked and begin to doubt God’s justice. Yet, Malachi assures us that God is attentive to those who fear him and remain faithful. He promises a day of reckoning where the arrogant will be purified, and the righteous will find joy and healing in the “Sun of Justice.” This passage calls us to remain steadfast in our commitment to God, even when the world around us seems unjust.
The Gospel from Luke complements this message with Jesus’ parable of the persistent friend. Jesus teaches us that prayer requires perseverance and trust. Just as the friend in the parable eventually receives what he needs because of his persistence, so too will God respond to our prayers, though not always in the way or timing we expect. Jesus reassures us that God, as a loving Father, desires to give us good things. He invites us to approach him with confidence, knowing that our prayers are heard and that he will provide for us in his own way.
These readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with God. Do we approach him with the persistence and trust of a child, or do we allow doubt and discouragement to weaken our faith? In a world that often values immediate results and instant gratification, the readings remind us of the value of patience and perseverance. Let us take heart in God’s promise to reward the faithful and to provide for us abundantly. May we, like the just in Malachi’s vision, walk in the light of the Sun of Justice, trusting that God’s plan for us is always good.