Daily Readings - Thu Oct 17 2024

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love⁵he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Luke

Chapter 11

⁴⁷Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.⁴⁸So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.⁴⁹Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'⁵⁰so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,⁵¹from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.⁵²Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering."⁵³As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,⁵⁴lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter profound reflections on God's grace and human response. The first reading from Ephesians reminds us of the abundant blessings we receive from God, predestined for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ. This letter, written to early Christians, emphasizes the richness of God's grace and the unity believers share in Christ. The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus condemning the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, highlighting their failure to recognize the prophets and their role in persecution. This passage underscores the spiritual blindness that can lead to rejecting God's messengers. Both readings connect through the theme of God's plan and human response. Ephesians celebrates being chosen and blessed, while Luke warns of the consequences of rejecting divine truths. Together, they remind us that grace calls for a responsive heart, open to God's will. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to recognize our blessings and remain humble. We must avoid spiritual blindness by living with gratitude and openness to God's grace. The moral lesson here is the importance of embracing our role in God's plan with humility and openness, ensuring we do not hinder others from experiencing His love. Let us strive to live in harmony with God's will, allowing His grace to guide us in unity and love.