Daily Readings - Wed Oct 08 2025
Jonah
1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.2And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.3Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.4Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?5So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.6And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.7But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.8And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.9And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.10Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:11And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Luke
1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.3Give us day by day our daily bread.4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful lessons about prayer, trust, and God’s mercy. The first reading from Jonah finds the prophet in a state of anguish and anger. Jonah is upset because the plant that provided him shade has withered, and he feels justified in his frustration. Yet, God uses this moment to teach Jonah about compassion and the value of life. God reminds Jonah that he grieved over a plant he did not even cultivate, while God himself is merciful toward the entire city of Nineveh, sparing its people and animals from destruction. This exchange reveals Jonah’s limited understanding of God’s boundless mercy and his own lack of compassion.
The Gospel reading from Luke offers us a different perspective on prayer. Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, a model of humility and trust in God’s providence. The prayer emphasizes the importance of seeking God’s will, asking for daily bread, and forgiving others as we seek forgiveness. It also invites us to ask for the strength to resist temptation. This prayer is not just a formula but a way of life, teaching us to approach God with confidence and surrender, trusting that he knows what we need even before we ask.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and our neighbors. Jonah’s story challenges us to examine our own attitudes toward others and to grow in compassion, recognizing that God’s mercy extends far beyond our limited perspectives. The Lord’s Prayer, on the other hand, reminds us that prayer is not just about asking for things but about aligning our hearts with God’s will. Together, these readings call us to trust in God’s plan, to pray with humility, and to live with mercy and forgiveness toward all. Let us strive to cultivate these virtues in our daily lives, trusting that God’s ways are always greater than our own.