Daily Readings - Mon Sep 02 2019
1 Thessalonians
13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Luke
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,18"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."20And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.21And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."22And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"23And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well."24And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.25But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,26and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."28When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.29And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.30But passing through their midst, he went away.
Sermon
In today's readings, we find profound messages of hope and the challenges of living out our faith. The First Reading from 1 Thessalonians reminds us of the hope we have in the resurrection. It reassures us that those who have passed away in Christ will rise again, and we will all be united with the Lord. This passage comforts early Christians dealing with grief, offering a vision of eternal togetherness with God.
The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus in Nazareth, where he proclaims his mission to the poor and the marginalized. Despite initial amazement, the crowd turns hostile when Jesus points out that prophets are often rejected at home, using examples of Elijah and Elisha helping outsiders. This highlights the tension between Jesus' universal mission and the local community's expectations, leading to his rejection.
These readings relate by emphasizing hope and the challenges of faith. The resurrection gives us hope beyond death, while Jesus' mission shows us the importance of reaching out to all, even in the face of rejection. In our daily lives, we may encounter resistance when standing up for our beliefs or helping others, but we are called to endure, trusting in God's plan. Let us draw strength from the hope of eternal life and continue serving others as Jesus did, even when faced with adversity.