Daily Readings - Mon Sep 04 2023
1 Thessalonians
13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Luke
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound themes: hope in the face of loss and the challenge of rejection in fulfilling our mission. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians offers comfort to those grieving, reminding them of the hope found in the resurrection. Paul assures the Thessalonians that their deceased loved ones will rise again with Jesus, urging them to find solace in this promise. This passage is set against the backdrop of a community coping with loss, seeking reassurance in their faith.
The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus in his hometown synagogue, where he proclaims his mission to serve the marginalized. Initially, the crowd is impressed, but when he challenges their parochialism, they turn hostile. This narrative highlights the reality of rejection that can accompany living out one's faith. Jesus's experience teaches us that following God's call may lead to opposition, yet we must remain steadfast.
These readings connect by balancing hope with the challenges of discipleship. While we have the assurance of eternal life, we must also embrace the difficulties of standing up for our beliefs. In our daily lives, we may face sorrow or rejection, but the readings encourage us to hold onto hope and trust in God's plan. The moral lesson here is the endurance of faith amidst adversity, trusting that our efforts to live as disciples will ultimately find fulfillment in God's time.