Daily Readings - Sat Feb 25 2023
Isaiah
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Luke
27And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.28And he left all, rose up, and followed him.29And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.30But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?31And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.32I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages about living out our faith through compassionate actions. The prophet Isaiah challenges us to move beyond superficial religious practices, emphasizing that true fasting involves setting the oppressed free, sharing with the hungry, and comforting the afflicted. This call to justice and mercy is not just a suggestion but a divine imperative. In the Gospel, Jesus scandalizes the Pharisees by dining with tax collectors and sinners, declaring that he came not for the self-righteous, but for those who recognize their need for repentance.
Both readings highlight the importance of living out our faith in tangible ways. Isaiah's message is set in a context where the people were practicing fasting, but their actions did not reflect a commitment to justice and care for the vulnerable. Similarly, in Luke's account, Jesus challenges the Pharisees' hypocrisy, pointing out that their focus on external purity missed the heart of God's mercy and love. These passages remind us that our faith must be expressed in how we treat others, especially those on the margins of society.
As we reflect on these readings, let us examine our own lives. Are we content with outward displays of piety, or do we allow our faith to transform us into instruments of God's justice and love? Let us seek to be like Levi, who left everything to follow Jesus, and like Jesus himself, who reached out to those society had rejected. May we find joy in serving others and may our lives be a reflection of God's light in a world that often lives in darkness.