Daily Readings - Mon Jun 06 2022
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 salvation history that invite us to reflect on trust, responsibility, and the transformative power of love. The first reading from Genesis recounts the story of Adam and Eve after they have eaten the forbidden fruit. Their fear and attempt to shift blame reveal the brokenness that sin introduces into human relationships. Yet, even in the midst of this brokenness, we see the first glimmer of hope: Eve is named as the mother of all the living, and the promise is made that her offspring will ultimately crush the serpent’s head—a foreshadowing of the redemption that is to come.
The Gospel reading from John shifts our focus to the cross, where Jesus, in his final moments, entrusts his mother Mary to the care of the beloved disciple. This act of love and trust underscores the depth of Jesus’ concern for those he loves, even as he bears the weight of the world’s sins. Mary, the new Eve, becomes a mother to all believers, symbolizing the universal embrace of God’s love and the restoration of the brokenness we saw in the first reading.
These readings remind us that our lives are shaped by trust and responsibility. Like Adam and Eve, we are called to acknowledge our failures and take responsibility for our actions. Like Mary, we are invited to embrace the gift of love and care for one another, even in the face of suffering. As we reflect on these passages, let us ask ourselves: Where do we place our trust? How do we live out our faith in our relationships and in our daily lives? May we, like Mary, accept the gift of love and care for one another, trusting in God’s plan to restore all things.