Daily Readings - Mon Aug 31 2020
1 Corinthians
1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,5that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
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 encounter profound lessons about humility, faith, and the challenges of living out our mission as followers of Christ. The first reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us that the power of God’s message does not lie in human wisdom or eloquence but in the simplicity and truth of the Gospel. Paul humbly acknowledges his limitations, trusting instead in the Spirit to convey the transformative power of Christ crucified. This passage invites us to reflect on our own reliance on God’s grace rather than our own strengths.
The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus in His hometown synagogue, where He announces His mission to bring hope and liberation to the marginalized. Yet, despite His words of grace, the people’s admiration quickly turns to anger when He challenges their expectations. Jesus’ experience reminds us that living out our faith can lead to rejection, even among those closest to us. Like the prophets before Him, Jesus faces resistance, but He remains steadfast in His mission, trusting in God’s plan.
These readings call us to embrace humility and trust in God’s power as we navigate our own challenges. Like Paul, we are to rely on the Spirit’s strength, not our own. Like Jesus, we are to remain faithful, even when our efforts are met with opposition. In our daily lives, this means living with courage and compassion, willing to take risks for the sake of the Gospel. Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s power and to persevere in our mission, no matter the obstacles we may face.