Daily Readings - Mon Sep 01 2025

¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.¹⁵For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Luke

Chapter 4

¹⁶And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.¹⁷And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."²⁰And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.²¹And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."²²And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"²³And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well."²⁴And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.²⁵But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,²⁶and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.²⁷And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."²⁸When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.²⁹And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.³⁰But passing through their midst, he went away.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two profound messages of hope and mission. The First Reading from 1 Thessalonians offers comfort to those grieving, assuring them of the hope found in the resurrection of Jesus. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that their deceased loved ones are not lost but will rise again with Christ, urging them to console one another with this promise. The Gospel from Luke depicts Jesus in his hometown synagogue, where he proclaims the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, outlining his mission to the marginalized. However, this message is met with rejection, as the people of Nazareth fail to see beyond his humble origins. The context of these readings reveals their deeper significance. Paul’s letter addresses the concerns of early Christians about the fate of those who died before Christ’s return, providing reassurance rooted in the resurrection. In Luke, Jesus’s mission statement in Nazareth sets the stage for his ministry, emphasizing compassion and justice, yet it also highlights the challenge of acceptance, even in familiar surroundings. These readings connect through the theme of hope and its practical application. Paul’s hope in the resurrection is embodied in Jesus’s mission, which brings hope to the downtrodden. Yet, as seen in Nazareth, living out this hope can lead to rejection, reminding us that following Christ may require facing challenges with faith. In our daily lives, we are called to embody this hope. We can find comfort in the promise of eternal life, even amidst loss. Like Jesus, we should reach out to those on the margins, whether through kindness, advocacy, or simply being present. When we face rejection or adversity, we must remember that our faith in God’s plan gives us the strength to persevere. The moral lesson here is clear: living with hope and faith transforms us. It enables us to comfort others, embrace our mission, and face challenges with courage. May we, like Paul and Jesus, find the strength to live out our faith, trusting in God’s plan and bringing hope to a world in need.