Daily Readings - Mon Jun 01 2020
First Reading - Genesis 3.9-15, 20 or Acts 1.12-14
Genesis
9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.20And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Acts
12Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.13And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
John
25Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!27Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound moments in Scripture that invite us to reflect on human nature, responsibility, and redemption. The first reading from Genesis recounts the story of Adam and Eve after they have eaten the forbidden fruit. Their fear and blame-shifting—Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent—reveal the fractured relationships and division that sin introduces into the world. Yet, amidst this brokenness, there is a glimmer of hope: the promise of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and the ultimate victory of her offspring over evil. This passage reminds us that sin separates us from God and from one another, but it also points to the possibility of redemption.
The Gospel reading from John shifts our focus to the cross, where Jesus, in his final moments, entrusts his mother to the care of the beloved disciple. This act of love and responsibility speaks to the heart of Jesus' mission: to restore relationships and create a new family bound together by faith and love. Just as Adam named Eve, symbolizing their bond, Jesus here creates a new bond between his mother and the disciple, inviting us to see one another as part of a shared family in God.
These readings call us to examine our own relationships and how we respond to challenges. Like Adam and Eve, we often shift blame rather than taking responsibility, but Jesus shows us a different way. By embracing vulnerability and trust, he teaches us to care for one another as a family. Let us strive to build relationships marked by love, accountability, and mutual support, remembering that through Christ, we are called to overcome division and live as one body.