Daily Catholic Mass Readings for September 18, 2024
First Reading: 1 Corinthians 12.31 – 13.13
31But earnestly desire the higher gifts.And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.4Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Psalm 33
1Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.2Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!3Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.4For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.7He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.8Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!13The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;14from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,15he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.16The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.17The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,19that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.20Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.21For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.22Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Gospel: Luke 7.31-35
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
In today's readings, we are reminded of the essence of living a virtuous life. The first reading from 1 Corinthians emphasizes the primacy of love, or charity, as the greatest virtue. Paul illustrates that without love, even the most impressive spiritual gifts are hollow. Love is patient, kind, and enduring, and it is this love that truly matters. In the Gospel, Luke presents Jesus comparing the current generation to discontented children, highlighting the futility of trying to please everyone. Jesus points out that true wisdom is recognized by those who embrace it, not by those who criticize without understanding.
Both readings offer insights into the human condition. The Corinthians were divided, focusing on spiritual gifts without the love that should motivate them. Jesus, in Luke, faces criticism from those who cannot see the wisdom in his actions. Together, these passages teach us that a life of virtue requires both internal love and external wisdom. They encourage us to look beyond superficial criticisms and focus on living with integrity and compassion.
In our daily lives, we often face similar challenges—criticism, expectations, and the pressure to conform. The readings remind us to focus on love and wisdom rather than seeking approval. True fulfillment comes from living with love and integrity, not from external validation. Let us strive to embody the virtues of patience, kindness, and enduring love, recognizing that wisdom is justified by those who live it.