Daily Readings - Tue Sep 12 2017

First Reading - Colossians 2.6-15

⁶As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:⁷Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.⁹For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.¹⁰And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:¹¹In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:¹²Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.¹³And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;¹⁴Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;¹⁵And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Gospel - Luke 6.12-19

Luke

Chapter 6

¹²And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.¹³And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;¹⁴Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,¹⁵Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,¹⁶And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.¹⁷And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;¹⁸And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.¹⁹And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound connection between our faith in Christ and our mission to live as His disciples in the world. In the first reading from Colossians, St. Paul reminds us that our lives must be deeply rooted in Christ. He warns us against being swayed by empty philosophies and human traditions that can lead us away from the truth of the Gospel. Instead, we are called to live in gratitude and humility, recognizing that in Christ, we have been fully reconciled to God. Through Baptism, we have been buried and raised with Him, and our sins have been forgiven. This is the foundation of our Christian identity. In the Gospel, Luke describes Jesus choosing the Twelve Apostles after a night of prayer. This moment marks the beginning of their formal mission to spread the Good News. Jesus then descends to a level place, where a great crowd gathers to listen to Him and be healed. The power of God flows through Him, touching all who are in need. This scene reminds us that our faith is not just about personal spirituality but also about being part of a community that seeks healing and transformation. Just as the Apostles were called to follow Jesus and share His message, we too are called to live out our faith in the world. These readings challenge us to examine how we are living our faith. Are we rooted in Christ, or are we allowing the influences of the world to pull us away from Him? Are we using our unique gifts and talents to serve others and share the love of God? Let us remember that our faith is not just about what we believe but also about how we live. Like the Apostles, we are called to be instruments of God’s healing and hope in a world that so desperately needs it. May we, like the crowd in the Gospel, reach out to touch Jesus, and may His power flow through us to bring light and love to all those around us.