Daily Readings - Mon Jan 08 2018
First Reading - Isaiah 55.1-11 or 1 John 5.1-9
Isaiah
1"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.3Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.4Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.5Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.6"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.10"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
1 John
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?6This is he who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.7For there are three that testify:8the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.9If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.
Mark
7And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.8I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.10And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.11And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter profound invitations to embrace God’s grace and recognize His divine plan. The passage from Isaiah extends a heartfelt invitation to all who thirst, urging them to seek spiritual nourishment from God. It emphasizes His mercy and the transformative power of His word, which always accomplishes its purpose. In contrast, the Gospel of Mark presents John the Baptist’s humble acknowledgment of Jesus as the mightier one, followed by the baptism of Jesus, where the Holy Spirit descends, and God declares Jesus His beloved Son.
These readings, though from different contexts, beautifully intertwine. Isaiah’s call to repentance and trust in God’s mercy finds fulfillment in Mark’s narrative of Jesus, who embodies God’s grace and brings the Holy Spirit. Both texts highlight the theme of divine invitation and the effectiveness of God’s word. Isaiah’s message of hope and forgiveness is realized in Jesus, who through His baptism, inaugurates a new era of God’s presence among His people.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to seek God’s grace with humility and openness. Just as John the Baptist recognized his role in God’s plan, we too can acknowledge our need for God’s Spirit. Let us trust in His divine plan, embracing our role as beloved children of God, and live in the confidence of His love and mercy. May we, like the Israelites, turn to God, and may our souls be delighted by the fullness of His presence.