Daily Readings - Wed Sep 19 2018
1 Corinthians
31But earnestly desire the higher gifts.And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.4Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Luke
31"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'33For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'35Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
Sermon
Dear friends in Christ,
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on the essence of living a life rooted in love and wisdom. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us that without charity, all our gifts and actions are empty. He beautifully describes charity as patient, kind, and enduring, emphasizing that it is the greatest of all virtues. This passage is part of Paul’s larger discussion on spiritual gifts, urging the Corinthians to focus on the most important gift of all—love.
In the Gospel, Jesus uses a parable to illustrate the inconsistency of those who criticize both John the Baptist and himself. John was accused of being too austere, while Jesus was criticized for being too worldly. Jesus’ words highlight the fickle nature of those who refuse to see the truth. This passage is part of Luke’s narrative, where Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ accusations, emphasizing that true wisdom is justified by its fruits.
Both readings remind us that living a virtuous life is not about external appearances or fleeting opinions but about cultivating love and integrity. Paul’s emphasis on charity and Jesus’ parable about wisdom call us to focus on what truly matters: living with compassion, humility, and sincerity. In a world often driven by criticism and division, we are invited to anchor our lives in the enduring power of love and wisdom.
May we strive to embody the charity that St. Paul describes and embrace the wisdom that Jesus teaches. Let us not be swayed by the shifting tides of opinion but instead remain steadfast in our commitment to love and truth. In doing so, we will bear fruit that lasts and reflect the heart of God in all we do. Amen.