Daily Readings - Wed Sep 13 2017
Colossians
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Luke
20Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.22Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.23"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.24"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the transformative power of living as followers of Christ. In the first reading from Colossians, St. Paul urges us to seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He reminds us that our old way of life, marked by sin and self-centeredness, must be stripped away, and we must be clothed in the new man, renewed in the image of our Creator. This passage emphasizes the radical change that occurs when we die to sin and rise with Christ, living a life that reflects our unity in Him, where distinctions like Gentile or Jew, slave or free, no longer matter.
In the Gospel, Luke presents Jesus delivering the Beatitudes, a series of blessings and woes that challenge our worldly notions of happiness and success. Jesus pronounces blessings on the poor, the hungry, and those who weep, while issuing woes to the wealthy, the satisfied, and those who laugh now. This teaching is not about material conditions but about the disposition of our hearts. The poor in spirit, the hungry for justice, and those who mourn over sin are promised that their reversal of fortune will come in the kingdom of God. Conversely, those who are complacent or exploit others will face sorrow.
Together, these readings call us to live in a way that reflects the values of the kingdom of God. We are to renounce sin and worldly ambitions, embracing instead a life of humility, compassion, and justice. In our daily lives, this means choosing to see and serve Christ in others, especially in those who are marginalized or suffering. It means being willing to let go of our own desires and comforts for the sake of the Gospel. The moral lesson is clear: true happiness and fulfillment come not from earthly possessions or status but from living as children of God, transformed by His grace and conformed to the image of Christ.