Daily Readings - Sun Jan 30 2022

⁴Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,⁵"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."¹⁷But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.¹⁸And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.¹⁹They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you."

1 Corinthians

Chapter 13

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

Chapter 4

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

The readings today invite us to reflect on the call to mission, the nature of love, and the challenges of living out our faith. In the first reading, Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet, despite his own fears and insecurities. God assures him, "I am with you to deliver you," reminding us that our strength comes not from ourselves but from the Lord. In the second reading, St. Paul describes the essence of love—patient, kind, enduring, and selfless. He reminds us that while other gifts may fade, love remains the greatest and most enduring. In the Gospel, Jesus faces rejection in his own hometown, teaching us that living out our faith can sometimes lead to opposition, but we must remain faithful to our mission. These readings are deeply connected. Jeremiah’s call to prophesy, despite his fears, is an example of the kind of selfless love St. Paul describes. Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth shows us that even the Son of God faced opposition, yet He remained steadfast in His mission. Together, these readings remind us that our faith is not just about feeling comfortable or being accepted; it is about embracing a life of service, love, and courage, even in the face of challenges. In our daily lives, these readings call us to reflect on how we live out our faith. Are we willing to step out of our comfort zones to serve others? Do we practice the kind of patient, enduring love that St. Paul describes? When we face rejection or difficulties, do we remain faithful to our mission? Let us ask for the courage to embrace our calling, just as Jeremiah did, and to love as Jesus loved—selflessly and without condition. May we remember that true strength comes from God, and that love is the greatest virtue that endures forever.