Daily Readings - Thu Oct 26 2023
Romans
19I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.20When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.21But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death.22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke
49"I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!50I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!51Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.52For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.53They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of faith and the challenges it presents. In Romans, Paul contrasts life as servants of sin with life as servants of God, emphasizing that our choices lead to either death or eternal life. This transformation is not merely a change in behavior but a profound shift in our being, leading to sanctification.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of casting fire upon the earth, a metaphor for the transformative and sometimes divisive nature of His message. This fire ignites a passion that can create conflict, even within families, as not everyone will embrace the radical commitment He calls for. This teaching reminds us that following Christ is not about comfort but about a radical way of life that can set us apart.
Applying this to our daily lives, we are called to make choices that align with our faith, even when they are difficult. This might mean facing opposition or standing out in our commitment to justice and love. The moral lesson here is clear: our faith transforms us internally and challenges us externally, leading to a life of purpose and eternal promise. Let us embrace this transformative power, knowing that it brings both inner sanctification and the courage to face life's challenges.