Daily Catholic Mass Readings for September 27, 2022
First Reading: Job 3.1-3, 11-17, 20-23
1After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.2And Job said:3"Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, 'A man is conceived.'11"Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?12Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?13For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,14with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves,15or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.16Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light?17There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.20"Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,21who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,22who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave?23Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
Psalm 88
1O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you.2Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!3For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.4I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength,5like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.6You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.7Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah8You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;9my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.10Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?12Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?13But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.14O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.16Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.17They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together.18You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.
Gospel: Luke 9.51-56
51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.52And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.53But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.54And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"55But he turned and rebuked them.56And they went on to another village.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound expressions of human experience: suffering and rejection. The Book of Job presents us with a man who, in the midst of immense suffering, cries out in despair, questioning the very purpose of his existence. Job's lament is raw and deeply human, reflecting the pain and confusion that can come when we face trials that seem inexplicable. His words remind us that suffering is not alien to the human condition and that even the most faithful can struggle with doubt and anguish.
In contrast, the Gospel of Luke offers us a different response to adversity. Jesus, journeying toward Jerusalem with a clear purpose, encounters rejection from the Samaritans. His disciples, filled with indignation, wish to retaliate with violence, but Jesus rebukes them, affirming that his mission is one of salvation, not destruction. This moment reveals the heart of Jesus' ministry: compassion, mercy, and the refusal to let anger or hatred dictate his actions. While Job's cry expresses the depth of human sorrow, Jesus' response embodies the transformative power of love and forgiveness.
These readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to suffering and rejection in our own lives. Like Job, we may feel the weight of pain and question God's presence in our darkness. Yet, in Jesus, we see a different way—a way that does not seek revenge or self-pity but instead chooses to love and to save. As we navigate our own trials, let us turn to Jesus, asking for the grace to embrace his spirit of compassion and forgiveness. May we learn to see even in the midst of suffering, the possibility of redemption and the call to live as instruments of God's mercy in the world.