Daily Readings - Sun Mar 24 2019

¹Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.²There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.³So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up."⁴When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."⁵"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."⁶Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.⁷The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.⁸So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey-the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.¹³Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"¹⁴God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"¹⁵God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

1 Corinthians

Chapter 10

¹For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.³They all ate the same spiritual food⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.⁶Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.¹⁰And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.¹¹These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.¹²So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Luke

Chapter 13

¹Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.²Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?³I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.⁴Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?⁵I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."⁶Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'⁸"'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter powerful reminders of God’s presence, His call to us, and the urgency of living a life of faith and repentance. The first reading from Exodus describes Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush, a moment of profound revelation. God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and commissions Moses to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. This passage emphasizes God’s initiative in salvation and the importance of responding to His call with faith and courage. The second reading from 1 Corinthians connects the Israelites’ journey through the desert to our own spiritual journey. Paul reminds us that the Israelites’ experiences—both their blessings and their failures—serve as examples for us. He warns against taking God’s grace for granted and against indulging in sin, urging us instead to live with humility and gratitude. The Gospel from Luke reinforces this message of repentance and spiritual vigilance. Jesus responds to tragic events by emphasizing that suffering is not a sign of greater guilt but a call to repentance. His parable of the fig tree reminds us that God is patient and gives us time to bear fruit, but we must not presume upon His mercy. These readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like Moses, we are called to recognize God’s presence in our lives and to respond with faith and obedience. Like the Israelites, we must avoid the dangers of complacency and sin. And like the fig tree, we are called to bear fruit—fruit that comes from a life of prayer, repentance, and love. Let us ask ourselves: Am I attentive to God’s call? Am I living a life that reflects His grace? Am I bearing fruit that glorifies Him? May we embrace the gift of God’s patience and strive to live as His faithful and fruitful people.