Daily Catholic Mass Readings for October 3, 2025
First Reading: Baruch 1.15-22
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Psalm 79
1O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.2They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.3They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.4We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.5How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?6Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!7For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.8Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!10Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!11Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!12Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!13But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Gospel: Luke 10.13-16
13"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.14But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.15And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.16"The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful reflections on sin, repentance, and judgment. The first reading from Baruch is a communal confession of sin, spoken on behalf of the Jewish people during their exile in Babylon. The author acknowledges the people’s unfaithfulness to God, their refusal to listen to the prophets, and their rebellion against the commandments. This confession is not just an admission of guilt but also an act of humility, recognizing that their suffering is a consequence of their sins. The reading ends with a glimmer of hope, as the people turn back to God, seeking mercy and restoration.
In the Gospel, Jesus delivers a stern warning to the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These towns, which had witnessed many miracles during Jesus’ ministry, are condemned for their lack of repentance. Jesus contrasts their hardness of heart with the hypothetical repentance of the pagan cities Tyre and Sidon, suggesting that even those who have not been given as much grace would have responded more faithfully. This passage underscores the gravity of rejecting God’s revelation and the consequences of failing to respond to His call.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like the exiled Jews in Baruch, we are called to acknowledge our sins and return to the Lord with humility and trust. Like the towns in Luke’s Gospel, we are reminded that God’s gifts and revelations come with great responsibility. We must not take His grace for granted or ignore the opportunities He gives us to repent and grow in holiness. Let us examine our hearts today, asking ourselves whether we are truly listening to God’s voice and responding with faith and obedience. May we, like the people in Baruch, find the courage to confess our sins and seek His mercy, and may we, like the towns Jesus addressed, avoid the hardness of heart that leads to judgment.