Daily Readings - Fri Dec 15 2017
Isaiah
17Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.18Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;19your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me."
Matthew
16"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,17"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound messages that invite us to reflect on our response to God's call. The first reading from Isaiah 48:17-19 presents God as a Redeemer and Teacher, guiding His people with promises of peace and prosperity. Obedience to His commandments is portrayed as the pathway to a life where peace flows like a river and justice crashes like waves. The context suggests a call to repentance, urging the Israelites to align their lives with God's will for their benefit.
The Gospel from Matthew 11:16-19 shifts our focus to Jesus, who compares His generation to indecisive children. He highlights the rejection of both John the Baptist and Himself, illustrating how people criticized John for his asceticism and Jesus for His sociability. Yet, Jesus affirms that wisdom is vindicated by its outcomes, emphasizing that true wisdom is recognized by its fruits.
Both readings converge on the theme of response to God's messengers. Isaiah shows the rewards of obedience, while Matthew reveals the consequences of rejection. In our daily lives, this calls us to be discerning and consistent in following God, undeterred by criticism. The moral lesson is clear: trust in God's wisdom and remain open to His will, for it is through obedience and faith that we find true peace and justice.