Daily Readings - Wed Oct 08 2025
Jonah
1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.2And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.3Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live."4And the LORD said, "Do you do well to be angry?"5Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.6Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.7But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.8When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, "It is better for me to die than to live."9But God said to Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry for the plant?" And he said, "Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die."10And the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.11And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"
Luke
1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."2And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.3Give us each day our daily bread,4and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful lessons about prayer, trust, and God’s mercy. The first reading from Jonah finds the prophet in a state of anguish and anger. Jonah is upset because the plant that provided him shade has withered, and he feels justified in his frustration. Yet, God uses this moment to teach Jonah about compassion and the value of life. God reminds Jonah that he grieved over a plant he did not even cultivate, while God himself is merciful toward the entire city of Nineveh, sparing its people and animals from destruction. This exchange reveals Jonah’s limited understanding of God’s boundless mercy and his own lack of compassion.
The Gospel reading from Luke offers us a different perspective on prayer. Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, a model of humility and trust in God’s providence. The prayer emphasizes the importance of seeking God’s will, asking for daily bread, and forgiving others as we seek forgiveness. It also invites us to ask for the strength to resist temptation. This prayer is not just a formula but a way of life, teaching us to approach God with confidence and surrender, trusting that he knows what we need even before we ask.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and our neighbors. Jonah’s story challenges us to examine our own attitudes toward others and to grow in compassion, recognizing that God’s mercy extends far beyond our limited perspectives. The Lord’s Prayer, on the other hand, reminds us that prayer is not just about asking for things but about aligning our hearts with God’s will. Together, these readings call us to trust in God’s plan, to pray with humility, and to live with mercy and forgiveness toward all. Let us strive to cultivate these virtues in our daily lives, trusting that God’s ways are always greater than our own.