Daily Readings - Sat Mar 05 2022
Isaiah
9Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,10and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.11The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.12Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.13"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,14then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Luke
27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him,28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful messages about living out our faith through compassion and humility. The first reading from Isaiah reminds us that true fasting is not just about abstaining from food, but about breaking the chains of oppression, feeding the hungry, and satisfying the afflicted. Isaiah calls us to live in such a way that our light rises in darkness, and our actions bring life and hope to those around us. The prophet emphasizes that when we pour ourselves out for others, we find rest and splendor in God, and we become instruments of healing and restoration in a broken world.
In the Gospel, Luke shares the story of Jesus calling Levi, a tax collector, and dining with sinners. This act of inclusion shocks the Pharisees and scribes, who question why Jesus would associate with those they deem unworthy. Jesus responds by saying that he has come not for the righteous, but for sinners. This exchange challenges us to reflect on our own attitudes toward others. Are we like the Pharisees, quick to judge and exclude, or are we like Jesus, who sees the potential for repentance and new life in everyone? Jesus’ actions remind us that the Kingdom of God is not about separation but about reconciliation and mercy.
These readings invite us to examine our lives and relationships. How often do we, like the Pharisees, look down on others or keep ourselves apart? How often do we, like Isaiah, pour ourselves out for those in need? Jesus shows us that true holiness is not about appearances or rules but about reaching out to the margins, embracing the outcast, and living with compassion. Let us ask ourselves: Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone to love and serve others? Am I open to seeing the goodness in those society may label as sinners? May we follow Jesus’ example, becoming repairers of brokenness and bringers of light to a world in need.