Daily Readings - Wed Sep 20 2023
1 Timothy
14I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that,15if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.16Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Luke
31"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'33For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'35Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of God's wisdom and our response to it. In the first reading from 1 Timothy, we hear about the Church as the "pillar and foundation of truth," emphasizing its role in upholding and proclaiming the mystery of God's plan revealed in Christ. This mystery, which transcends human understanding, is both a gift and a responsibility for believers. The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus critiquing the inconsistent expectations of His contemporaries, who judged John the Baptist for his austerity and Jesus for His openness, yet failed to recognize the wisdom of God at work in both. Jesus' words remind us that God's truth cannot be confined to human categories or expectations.
These readings are connected by the theme of wisdom and how it is received. The Church, as described in 1 Timothy, is the dwelling place of God's truth, where the mystery of Christ is made known. Yet, as Luke's Gospel shows, this truth is often met with resistance or misunderstanding. Jesus' critique highlights the danger of judging God's messengers based on preconceived notions rather than openness to the Spirit. Together, the readings call us to humility and discernment, recognizing that God's wisdom may come in unexpected forms.
In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to embrace the mystery of faith with openness and gratitude. Like the Church, we are called to be pillars of truth, yet we must also avoid the temptation to judge others based on appearances or expectations. Jesus' words remind us that wisdom is not about fitting into human categories but about living in harmony with God's plan. Let us strive to be children of wisdom, receptive to the ways God speaks to us, even when it challenges our comfortable assumptions. In doing so, we become living testimonies to the truth that sets us free.