Daily Readings - Mon Oct 05 2020

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 are reminded of the importance of staying true to the Gospel and living out its teachings in our lives. The first reading from Galatians expresses Paul’s astonishment that the Galatians have so quickly turned away from the Gospel they first received. He emphasizes that there is only one true Gospel, revealed by God, and any other message is a distortion. Paul’s passion underscores the necessity of remaining faithful to the authentic teachings of Christ, which are rooted in God’s revelation, not human invention. The Gospel from Luke presents us with the parable of the Good Samaritan, a powerful illustration of what it means to live the Gospel. When asked how to inherit eternal life, Jesus points to the law of love—loving God and neighbor. The parable challenges us to redefine who our neighbor is, not limited by cultural, religious, or social boundaries. The Samaritan, often seen as an outcast, becomes the true neighbor because he shows compassion and acts selflessly. This parable teaches us that being a neighbor is not about geography or affiliation but about mercy and love in action. Together, these readings call us to fidelity and compassion. Paul warns against being swayed by false gospels, urging us to cling to the truth of Christ. The Good Samaritan reminds us that this truth must be lived out in tangible ways—through acts of kindness, mercy, and love for all people, regardless of their background. In our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Are we staying true to the Gospel? Are we living it out by being neighbors to those in need? May we, like the Good Samaritan, allow God’s love to flow through us, transforming the world one act of mercy at a time.