Daily Readings - Mon Jun 01 2020
First Reading - Genesis 3.9-15, 20 or Acts 1.12-14
Genesis
9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."14The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."20The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Acts
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.13And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.14All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
John
25but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"27Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound moments in Scripture that invite us to reflect on human nature, responsibility, and redemption. The first reading from Genesis recounts the story of Adam and Eve after they have eaten the forbidden fruit. Their fear and blame-shifting—Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent—reveal the fractured relationships and division that sin introduces into the world. Yet, amidst this brokenness, there is a glimmer of hope: the promise of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and the ultimate victory of her offspring over evil. This passage reminds us that sin separates us from God and from one another, but it also points to the possibility of redemption.
The Gospel reading from John shifts our focus to the cross, where Jesus, in his final moments, entrusts his mother to the care of the beloved disciple. This act of love and responsibility speaks to the heart of Jesus' mission: to restore relationships and create a new family bound together by faith and love. Just as Adam named Eve, symbolizing their bond, Jesus here creates a new bond between his mother and the disciple, inviting us to see one another as part of a shared family in God.
These readings call us to examine our own relationships and how we respond to challenges. Like Adam and Eve, we often shift blame rather than taking responsibility, but Jesus shows us a different way. By embracing vulnerability and trust, he teaches us to care for one another as a family. Let us strive to build relationships marked by love, accountability, and mutual support, remembering that through Christ, we are called to overcome division and live as one body.