Daily Readings - Sat Sep 22 2018
1 Corinthians
35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?"36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Luke
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:5"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."9His disciples asked him what this parable meant.10He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful themes of transformation and growth, inviting us to reflect on our spiritual journeys. The first reading from 1 Corinthians explores the mystery of the resurrection, where Paul uses the analogy of a seed to illustrate the transformation from a physical body to a spiritual one. This passage reassures us that our current form is not the final one; God's plan is one of glorious transformation. The context of this passage is Paul addressing doubts in the Corinthian church about the resurrection, emphasizing that the resurrected body, though different, is real and part of God's divine plan.
In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus shares the parable of the sower, where the seed represents the word of God. The different soils symbolize the various responses to this word—some reject it, others accept it superficially, and a few nurture it to bear fruit. This parable, part of Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of God, highlights the importance of receptivity and perseverance in our spiritual lives. The connection between the two readings lies in their focus on transformation: in Corinthians, it's the body's transformation, and in Luke, it's the heart's transformation through God's word.
Applying these teachings to our daily lives, we are called to be like the good soil—open, receptive, and nurturing. In a world filled with distractions and challenges, we must cultivate our hearts to allow God's word to take root and grow. The moral lesson here is the importance of spiritual receptivity and perseverance. Just as a seed requires fertile soil, water, and patience to bear fruit, our faith requires dedication and trust in God's transformative power. Let us strive to be the good soil, trusting that God's word will bring forth a bountiful harvest in our lives.