Daily Readings - Wed May 23 2018
James
13Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.15Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Mark
38John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us."39But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.40For the one who is not against us is for us.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on humility, trust in God, and the importance of not hindering the good works of others. In the first reading from James, we are reminded that our lives are fleeting—like a mist that appears and then vanishes. James warns against arrogance and presumption, urging us to recognize that all our plans and accomplishments are ultimately dependent on God’s will. He calls us to live with humility, acknowledging that true wisdom comes from submitting our desires and plans to God’s providence.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of judging or hindering others who are doing good in His name. The disciples, seeing someone outside their group casting out demons in Jesus’ name, tried to stop him. But Jesus corrects them, saying that no one who works in His name can soon speak ill of Him. This teaches us that our unity as followers of Christ is not about who is “in” or “out,” but about supporting and encouraging all who do good in His name.
These readings challenge us to examine our own attitudes and actions. Do we trust in God’s plan, or do we rely on our own strength and plans? Do we judge others who are doing good but may not belong to our group or follow our ways? Let us learn to live with humility, trusting in God’s will and supporting all who seek to serve Him. May we avoid the sin of omission—failing to do the good we know we should—and instead, may we be open to the ways God works through others, even when it’s unexpected.