Daily Readings - Mon May 29 2023
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on the mystery of human frailty and the promise of divine redemption. In the first reading from Genesis, we witness the aftermath of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Their sin leads to separation from God, and the blame-shifting that follows reveals the brokenness of humanity. Yet, amidst this brokenness, God offers a glimmer of hope: the enmity between the serpent and the woman, and the promise that her offspring will crush the serpent’s head. This is the first hint of the redemption that will come through Christ.
In the Gospel, we see Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing at the foot of the cross. While Adam and Eve represent the first parents who turned away from God, Mary represents the obedience and faith that will lead to the restoration of humanity. Jesus, in his final moments, entrusts Mary to the care of the beloved disciple, symbolizing the new family of faith that will be formed through his sacrifice. Mary’s presence at the cross, like her presence at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, underscores her role as the mother of all believers.
These readings remind us that sin and failure are part of the human condition, but they do not have the final word. Through Mary, we see the fidelity and trust that allow God’s plan of redemption to unfold. In our own lives, we are called to imitate Mary’s faith and openness to God’s will. Like the beloved disciple, we are invited to welcome Mary into our lives as a symbol of the Church and to embrace the mission God has entrusted to us. May we, like Mary, trust in God’s providence and cooperate with his plan to bring redemption to a world still marked by sin and brokenness.