Daily Readings - Mon Oct 08 2018

⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--⁷which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!⁹As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.¹¹I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.¹²I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Luke

Chapter 10

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"²⁷He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"³⁰In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'³⁶"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"³⁷The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful messages that invite us to reflect on the integrity of our faith and the call to live out that faith in love and compassion. The first reading from Galatians finds St. Paul astonished that the community has so quickly turned away from the Gospel they first received. He emphasizes that the Gospel is not a human invention but a revelation from God, and he warns against any distortion of this truth, even if it comes from an angel or an apostle. Paul’s passion underscores the importance of remaining faithful to the authentic message of Christ, untainted by human opinions or worldly influences. The Gospel from Luke presents us with the parable of the Good Samaritan, a timeless lesson on love and neighborliness. When a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus turns the question back to the law and then expands its meaning through this parable. The Samaritan, often considered an outcast, becomes the true neighbor because he acts with mercy and compassion toward a stranger in need. This story challenges us to move beyond our biases and comfort zones to recognize that our neighbor is anyone we encounter, especially those who are suffering or marginalized. Together, these readings remind us that our faith must be both authentic and active. St. Paul calls us to guard the integrity of the Gospel, while Jesus shows us that living the Gospel means putting love into action. In our daily lives, we are called to remain steadfast in our commitment to Christ’s teachings and to embody that commitment by serving others with kindness and generosity. Let us ask ourselves: Am I staying true to the Gospel? Am I seeing Christ in those around me, especially in those who may seem different or difficult to love? May we, like the Good Samaritan, allow God’s love to flow through us, transforming both our hearts and the world around us.