Daily Catholic Mass Readings for October 1, 2024
First Reading: Job 3.1-3, 11-17, 20-23
1After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.2And Job spake, and said,3Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.11Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?12Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?13For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,14With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;15Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:16Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.17There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.20Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;21Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;22Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?23Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
Psalm 88
1O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:2Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;3For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.4I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:5Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.6Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.7Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.8Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.9Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.10Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.11Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?12Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?13But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.14LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?15I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.16Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.17They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.18Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
Gospel: Luke 9.51-56
51And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,52And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.53And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?55But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
Sermon
The readings today present us with two powerful images of suffering and response. In the first reading from Job, we hear the anguished cry of a man who has lost everything—his family, his health, and his livelihood. Job curses the day he was born, expressing the deep bitterness and despair that can come when we face immense pain and feel abandoned by God. Yet, even in his suffering, Job does not turn away from God; instead, he cries out to Him, seeking some understanding of his plight. This is a profound act of faith, for it shows that even in the darkest moments, we can still address God, even if our words are filled with anger or confusion.
In the Gospel, we see Jesus facing rejection as He journeys toward Jerusalem. The Samaritans refuse to welcome Him because He is heading toward the holy city, a place they likely viewed with resentment. When His disciples, James and John, suggest calling down fire from heaven to punish the Samaritans, Jesus rebukes them, reminding them that He has come not to destroy but to save. This exchange highlights the central mission of Jesus: to bring salvation through love and mercy, not through vengeance or retaliation. It also challenges us to reflect on how we respond to rejection or harm. Do we seek revenge, or do we choose to love and forgive?
These readings invite us to consider how we handle suffering and rejection in our own lives. Like Job, we may feel overwhelmed by pain or injustice, and it’s natural to question God’s plan. But Job’s example teaches us that even in the midst of suffering, we can turn to God in honesty and trust. Similarly, Jesus shows us that our response to harm should be shaped by mercy and compassion, not anger or retaliation. As we navigate our own struggles and encounters with rejection, let us remember that God is always with us, even in the darkness, and that we are called to imitate Christ by choosing love over vengeance. May we trust in God’s plan, even when it’s hard to understand, and may we strive to reflect His mercy in all we do.