Daily Readings - Tue Oct 12 2021

¹⁶I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."¹⁸The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.²¹For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.

Luke

Chapter 11

³⁷When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.³⁸But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.³⁹Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.⁴⁰You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?⁴¹But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between outward appearances and inward realities. In the first reading from Romans, St. Paul emphasizes the power of the Gospel to reveal God’s justice and salvation. He warns, however, that when people reject God’s truth, they fall into darkness, exchanging the glory of the Creator for false idols. This passage reminds us that turning away from God leads to spiritual corruption and a distorted understanding of the world. In the Gospel, Jesus confronts the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. While they focus on external purity, such as washing cups and plates, their hearts remain filled with greed and injustice. Jesus calls them fools for neglecting the inner transformation that true faith demands. These readings are connected by the theme of authenticity in our relationship with God. The Pharisees in the Gospel represent those who prioritize outward rituals over inward conversion, while St. Paul warns against the spiritual decay that results when we reject God’s truth. Together, they challenge us to examine our own lives. Are we more concerned with appearances, or are we allowing the Gospel to transform us from within? True faith is not about external observances but about living in accordance with God’s justice and love. In our daily lives, this means taking an honest look at our motivations and actions. Do we serve God with sincerity, or are we content with superficial practices? The moral lesson here is clear: our hearts must be purified and aligned with God’s will. Let us not be like the Pharisees, who missed the deeper truth of faith. Instead, let us allow the Gospel to penetrate our hearts, leading us to live with integrity and to serve others with love. In doing so, we will embody the justice and truth of God in a world that sorely needs it.