Daily Readings - Wed Sep 18 2019
1 Timothy
14These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:15But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Luke
31And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?32They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.34The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!35But wisdom is justified of all her children.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of the Church and the challenges of living a life of integrity in a world often divided by conflicting expectations. In the first reading from 1 Timothy, we are reminded that the Church is the "pillar and foundation of truth," a community called to uphold and live out the mystery of God’s plan of salvation. This mystery, revealed in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, and preached to the Gentiles, is the heart of our faith. It is a truth that transcends human understanding and yet is lived out in the concrete realities of our lives.
In the Gospel, Jesus laments the inconsistency of those who refuse to be satisfied—neither by the austerity of John the Baptist nor by his own openness to dining with sinners. This critique speaks to a deeper truth: the human tendency to judge others based on our own narrow expectations rather than embracing the wisdom of God. Just as John and Jesus were misunderstood, we too may face criticism when we try to live out our faith in a way that doesn’t fit neatly into the world’s categories. Yet, Jesus assures us that true wisdom is vindicated by its fruits, not by the opinions of others.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are called to embody the mystery of God’s truth with integrity. This means being a people of faith who do not waver in the face of criticism or changing expectations. Like the Church, we are to be a pillar of truth, not by our own strength, but by living out the mystery of God’s love in our actions. Let us trust in the wisdom of God, even when the world around us seems inconsistent or judgmental. May we, like John and Jesus, remain steadfast in our commitment to the truth, knowing that it is not our approval by others, but our fidelity to God’s plan, that truly matters.