Daily Readings - Sat Sep 26 2020
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
The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between suffering, hope, and eternal life. In the first reading from Revelation, we are given a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem, where a countless multitude from every nation stands before the throne of God and the Lamb, clothed in white robes. These are the ones who have come through great tribulation, their robes washed white by the blood of the Lamb. They worship God unceasingly, 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; they are but a prelude to the eternal joy and peace that await us in God’s presence.
The second reading from 2 Corinthians deepens this theme. Paul writes about the paradox of Christian life: we are fragile, earthen vessels holding a sublime treasure—the power of God. Though we endure tribulation, we are not crushed. Though we are afflicted, we are not abandoned. Paul’s words remind us that our suffering is not meaningless. It is in our weakness that the power of God shines through. The life of Jesus is manifested in our mortal flesh, even as we carry the cross of discipleship. This is the mystery of the Christian life: death is at work in us, but it is a death that leads to life.
In the Gospel, Jesus makes this mystery explicit. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him. This is not a call to self-punishment but to self-surrender. To lose our life for his sake is to find true life. Jesus warns us that if we seek to save our lives on our own terms, we will lose them. But if we lose our lives for his sake, we will save them. This is the paradox of the cross: it is through embracing suffering and self-denial that we discover the true meaning of life. Jesus’ words are not just a moral lesson; they are an invitation to live in the power of the resurrection, even in the midst of trials.
These readings remind us that our faith is not about avoiding suffering but about finding meaning and hope in it. Like the multitude in Revelation, we are called to persevere through tribulation, trusting that our robes will be washed white by the blood of the Lamb. Like Paul, we are called to embrace our weakness, knowing that God’s power is made perfect in it. And like the disciples, we are called to take up our cross daily, following Jesus into the mystery of death and resurrection. Let us, then, face our struggles with faith, knowing that they are not the end of our story. For in the end, it is not our strength that will save us, but the power of God, who raises the dead and leads us to the waters of life.