Daily Readings - Sat Oct 15 2022

¹⁵For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,¹⁸having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might²⁰that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.²²And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Luke

Chapter 12

⁸"And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,⁹but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.¹¹And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound relationship between faith, prayer, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. In the first reading from Ephesians, St. Paul expresses his deep gratitude for the faith of the Ephesian community and prays that God may grant them a spirit of wisdom and revelation. He wants them to understand the hope of their calling and the immense inheritance they have in Christ. This prayer is not just for the Ephesians but for all of us, reminding us that our faith is a gift, and with it comes the responsibility to live in hope and trust in God’s plan. The reading also highlights the cosmic dimension of Christ’s victory, with all things subjected to him, and the Church as his body, the fullness of his presence in the world. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the importance of confessing him before others and the gravity of rejecting the Holy Spirit. He assures us that the Holy Spirit will guide us in times of trial, teaching us what to say and do. This passage is a call to courage and trust in God’s providence. It reminds us that our faith is not a private matter but something that must be lived openly, even when it is challenging. At the same time, it warns us about the dangers of hardness of heart and the refusal to acknowledge God’s presence and action in our lives. Together, these readings encourage us to live with confidence in God’s love and to seek his wisdom daily. They remind us that our faith is a treasure that must be nurtured through prayer and lived out in our words and actions. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds, that we may truly understand the hope we have in Christ and bear witness to his love in all that we do. May we trust in God’s plan and seek his guidance, knowing that he will never abandon us.