Daily Readings - Thu Sep 26 2019
Revelation
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,12saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?"14I answered, "Sir, you know."15And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
2 Corinthians
7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Gospel - Luke 9.23-26 or John 12.24-26
Luke
23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
John
24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful visions of hope, endurance, and the ultimate triumph of God’s plan. The first reading from Revelation paints a glorious scene of a multitude from every nation, tribe, and language, standing before the throne of God. These are the ones who have endured great tribulation but have been made white by the blood of the Lamb. They worship God without ceasing, and the Lamb, who is their shepherd, leads them to the waters of life. This vision reminds us that our present struggles are not the end of the story; God’s victory is certain, and His people will ultimately find rest and joy in His presence.
The second reading from 2 Corinthians complements this vision by grounding it in the reality of our earthly lives. Paul writes that we hold the treasure of the Gospel in earthen vessels, meaning our fragile human bodies. Though we face tribulation, constraint, persecution, and even death, these do not define us. Instead, they reveal the power of God at work in us. Paul reminds us that we carry the mortification of Jesus in our bodies so that His life may shine through us. This paradox of death and life, weakness and strength, is at the heart of the Christian life. Our struggles are not meaningless; they are opportunities for God’s grace to abound.
In the Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that following Him requires self-denial and taking up our cross daily. This is not a call to misery but to freedom. When we lose our lives for His sake, we find true life. Jesus warns us not to be ashamed of Him, for our ultimate hope is in His majesty and glory. Today’s readings invite us to embrace the reality of our faith: we are called to endure hardship with hope, knowing that our present sufferings cannot compare to the eternal glory God has prepared for us. Let us trust in God’s plan, carry our crosses with courage, and keep our eyes fixed on the eternal life that awaits us.