Daily Readings - Fri Oct 22 2021
Romans
18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.22For in my inner being I delight in God's law;23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?25Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Luke
54He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does.55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is.56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?57"Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?58As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.59I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. "
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful reflections on the human condition and our relationship with God. The first reading from Romans describes the internal struggle of St. Paul, who laments the tension between his desire to do good and his inability to fully achieve it due to the presence of sin within him. He acknowledges the law of God that delights his inner being, but he is also aware of another law at work in his body, warring against his mind and binding him to sin. This struggle is both deeply personal and universally relatable, as we all experience the gap between our aspirations and our actions.
The Gospel reading from Luke shifts our focus outward, as Jesus challenges the crowd to examine their spiritual awareness. He criticizes them for being able to interpret the signs of nature—such as clouds and wind—yet failing to discern the signs of the times spiritually. Jesus urges them to settle their disputes quickly and to avoid the consequences of judgment, warning that once we are entangled in conflict, it can lead to a kind of spiritual imprisonment from which it is hard to escape. Together, these readings invite us to reflect on our own self-awareness and our relationship with God and others.
These readings call us to recognize the tension within ourselves between good and evil, light and darkness. Like St. Paul, we may feel trapped by our own weaknesses, but we are reminded that our liberation comes through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. At the same time, Jesus’ words in the Gospel challenge us to be honest about our spiritual state and to act with urgency in seeking reconciliation and justice. Let us ask ourselves: Do we acknowledge our own struggles and limitations? Are we attentive to the signs of God’s presence in our lives? Let us turn to God with humility, seeking His grace to overcome our sin and to live with greater integrity and love.