Daily Readings - Thu Oct 10 2019
Malachi
13"You have said harsh things against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'14"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?15But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.'"16Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.17"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.18And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
1"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them.2But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
Luke
5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of faith, persistence, and the relationship between God and his people. In the first reading from Malachi, we hear a prophetic message that contrasts the fate of the just and the impious. The prophet warns of a day when the arrogant and those who act impiously will face judgment, while those who fear the Lord and remain faithful will be spared and experience the Sun of Justice rising in their lives. This passage emphasizes the importance of remaining steadfast in our commitment to God, even when it seems difficult or when others around us have abandoned their faith.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the power of persistence in prayer through the parable of the friend who knocks repeatedly at midnight. He assures us that even when our prayers seem unanswered, God, unlike the reluctant friend, is a loving Father who desires to give us good things. Jesus reminds us that if even sinful humans know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. This teaching encourages us to approach God with confidence and perseverance, trusting in his goodness and love.
These readings remind us that faith is not a passive state but an active engagement with God. In a world that often seems indifferent or even hostile to our beliefs, we are called to remain faithful, just as the just in Malachi’s prophecy. At the same time, we are invited to deepen our prayer lives, knocking on God’s door with persistence, knowing that he hears us and desires to give us the gifts we need. Let us take these lessons to heart and strive to live with unwavering faith and trust in God’s providence.