Daily Readings - Thu Oct 28 2021
Ephesians
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Luke
12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:14Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,15Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,16Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.17He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon,18who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured,19and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on our identity as followers of Christ and our role in the mission of God. In the first reading from Ephesians, we hear that we are no longer strangers or sojourners but are now citizens in the household of God. We are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone. This passage emphasizes that we are part of a living temple, a spiritual structure where each of us has a place and a purpose. It reminds us that our faith is not just an individual relationship but a communal one, rooted in the traditions and teachings of the Church.
The Gospel from Luke complements this by showing us how Jesus, in prayer, chose the Twelve Apostles to be the foundation of this new community. Jesus spent the night in prayer before selecting those who would carry on his mission. This highlights the importance of prayer in discerning God’s will and the significance of community in living out our faith. The crowd that gathered around Jesus, seeking healing and touch, shows us that the Church is not just for the few but for all people, and we are called to be instruments of healing and grace in the world.
As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: How am I living out my role as a member of God’s household? Am I rooted in prayer and open to God’s call? Am I reaching out to others, offering them the healing and love that Christ has shown me? Let us strive to be living stones in the temple of God, building up the Body of Christ and sharing his love with the world.